I Can't Tell
by Alice in Wonderless Land
Summary: I am Cassie Taylor. I go to Sky High. If starting at a new school isn't hard enough, try being a Super Hero Wannabe with a crush on a villian! LashOC
1. Morning Blues

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. If I did, I would be ever so happy. Disney? Please give me everyting!**

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Damn. My first thought in the morning. I had already decided that any new school would be hell; I did not even want to register the fact that my new school was floating miles above any normal school and was there to train super heroes.

I swung around, my hand completely missing the alarm clock and instead hitting the corner of my stupid bedside table. Why the hell did I do that? And then I remembered… I was still basically asleep. I swore under my breath.

"Cassie! Get up!" Ugh, my brother. He thinks he so high-and-mighty just because he's a senior at Sky High. Bastard. Actually, I shouldn't say that, I love my brother. Probably just the sleep talking.

"I'm Up!" I called down the stairs unconvincingly. He probably picked up on this so he came up to find me still lying in bed with the covers on the floor. For some reason, I kick them off in my sleep.

"I said get up! Ron doesn't wait!"

"Ron?" I asked, opening one eye.

My brother, Calvin, was basically a Ken doll with super powers. He's handsome, I give him that, but the fact that all the girls practically drool on his shoes when they talk to him, that is too much. He could fly- that bastard.

"The bus driver," Calvin explained.

I started singing, "Hail to the bus driver" to myself as I got up, overcome my dizziness. Dizziness… hmm… is that even a word? Any way… I was overcome by something, so I fell back down.

"Just be down stairs in half an hour!" Calvin called, already half way down the stairs.

I got up and yawned… pretty. As I looked at myself in the mirror I grimaced. Wow. I looked bad. Messy blonde hair that made me look like I really wanted to be Elvis and bags under my eyes the size of Texas. I smiled- besides that, I was pretty. AM pretty. Okay, so maybe it's the teenage-girl-cockieness but I reckon I am pretty. I have curly blonde hair that's really light and bright blue eyes. I am curvy, because I am blessed with a fast metabolism. Thank god for genetics.

For a fifteen year old, I am average height, but still tall. I smiled and then closed my mouth. Damn these canines. Okay- so maybe I haven't been clear on myself. I have long canines (no, not dogs). I have fangs basically. They aren't that attractive so I prevent myself from elongating them. That's part of my power. I'll tell you later. SO anyway, where was I?

… oh yes. Mirror. After showering and battling with my hair I applied makeup. Not much just enough to give me that smokey-eyed look going on. I got dressed and after looking myself in the mirror and deciding I looked decent, I headed down stairs.

Calvin and I went to the bus stop where, needless to say, he was 1) Hooking up with his Barbie wannabe girlfriend, 2) Doing some strange handshake with some friends and 3) Introducing me to them.

"Hey guys, this is my sister, Cassie."

After receiving some brief nods of acknowledgment (YAY for me) the bus arrived. He smiled and let Calvin and his friends on and then… wait- I can't come on?

"Name and Power!" Ron Wilson- bus driver, declared.

I mumbled, "Cassie Taylor. And why do you care?"

He let me on with a glare.

I sat in the only open seat, a guy sat there in orange with glasses and as I sat down he said, "I'm Ethan, I melt."

"Cassie," I said, smiling. He backed up a bit and then I realised it. God damn it these fucking teeth I could just- "Cool teeth!"

"What?" Did he just say he liked my freakishly huge fangs?

"I said cool teeth. They're awesome," he said.

A guy behind him looked at me and said, "Let me see your teeth!"

I opened my mouth and extended my fangs, "Whoa!"

Zack (as I later found his name was) seemed amused by my fangs and I frowned.

I slumped into my seat, sulking. I mumbled something about hating my teeth and someone assured me that they were cool.

Magenta told me that having fangs was way better that being part-guineapig. I laughed and the glare I received from her made it clear that she wasn't joking.

-----------------

"I am Coach Boomer. Some of you may know me as Sonic Boom. Some of you may not," this random guy in gym shorts, said from the stage.

Yada! Yada! Yada! He could go on forever couldn't he? I scanned the crowd and my eyes fell upon a tall skinny guy. He seemed… interesting, to say the least. Fine, so I thought he was hot. Sue me.

I am a hormonal teen, I like guys. He was also looking around. Our eyes locked… shit. He smirked at me and I turned away, I was probably redder than a fire engine!

"Miss. Taylor!" I heard Boomer say, but I was too busy looking at the ground and trying to remember what the cute guys eyes looked like. "MISS TAYLOR!" I held my ears and shouted "SHIT!" Oh. Crap. Now I've done it.

"If you are done swearing at your shoes Miss. Taylor would you kindly grace us with your presence!"

I grimaced.

Power-fucking-placement.

I got on stage and he said, "Power."

I opened my mouth and my fangs elongated, he seemed unfazed. So… he's not scared easily? I shook my hands and they caught on fire. Yes, I am a pyro.

"Ah! Another Hot-Head! HERO!" He exclaimed. ANOTHER hot-head? Damn.


	2. Hot Head Junior

I looked at my schedule. Mad Science? Wow. These people are as crazy as they look.

As I entered the classroom I looked at the teacher, Mr. Medulla and almost yelled out, "What in the name of God happened to your head?"

I didn't. Instead I quietly took my seat.

"I'm Layla," the girl next to me told me. Her green eyes were very cool. She smiled.

"I'm Cassie," I said and then I told her, "I'm new."

--------------

I was going to sit alone for lunch but before I sat down Layla grabbed me and brought me to sit with her friends, who were (ironically) the same Sidekicks I had met on the bus. I'm like a Sidekick MAGNET!

All of them were sidekicks apart from Layla and her arm candy Will. That's right, THE Will Stronghold. No idea who he is? Neither did I.

Anyway, Layla grabbed me away from the empty table and said, "You do not want to sit there."

"Why?"

"That's Warrens table. If he's in a bad mood he'll roast you alive," she said with a happy grin, "In the nicest possible way."

"I see…" I said, trying to understand.

I sat down with _The Sidekicks Plus Layla and Will_ for lunch.

I poked at my gelatine… what in gods name was it? The mush that had been passed off as something edible did not seem appealing.

I went to go throw out my food and on my way back I was tripped.

I fell on my face and got up, arms ignited, to kill whoever tripped me.

The thing that tripped me was actually an arm, it slinked back to its owner who was looking amused at my reaction.

I looked at him. The tripper was cute boy from PP.

He made some sarcastic remark and sniggered. I walked back to my table, being totally peeved.

Even though he had tripped me, I still liked him. WHY!?!

Zack looked at 'Cute Boy' who was sitting with a… how do I put this? The kid was fat.

"Dude, since when are Lash and Speed aloud back in Sky High?" He asked, shaking his head at us.

Magenta piped up, "They got let out on, can you believe it, good behaviour. As long as they don't screw up they get another chance."

"Looks to me like they already started screwing up…" Will said, before asking me if I was okay.

I nodded. I was fine except for my bruised ego and broken pride.

A boy who I didn't know sat at "Warrens Table". I quickly assumed it was Warren. He sat there reading a book; the pages were beginning to smoke. I realised then that he was probably the Hot-Head that Boomer had referred to.

"Hot-head…" I whispered in realisation to myself.

Layla smiled, "Yeah- that's Warren." She called him over. He was attractive, the kind of guy that every girl probably swoons over at first with his whole Bad-Boy image. I smiled. I was really beginning to like this school.

Warren look up and came over to the table, smoking book in hand. "Hey Hippie, Popsicle, Stronghold, Maj, Zack…" he noticed me, "…do I know you?"

Layla smiled… again. What is it with that girl and smiling?

"Warren, this is why I called you over," she looked at me and said, "Meet Warren Peace. Warren, meet Hot-Head junior."

I shook his hand, "Formally known as Cassie."

Our hands began to smoke and we let go, "cool," he said.

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I was at my locker, carefully unlocking it when some guy came and stood next to me, supposedly unlocking his locker too. We both got ours open at the same time and he tapped me on the shoulder.

As I turned my stomach did flips. It was Lash a-k-a 'Cut Boy' a-k-a Sir Tripsalot.

"I don't believe we've met, I'm Lash," he extended his hand.

"No, but I have become quite acquainted to the ground because of you," I quipped before taking his hand and saying, "I'm Cassie."

"You know that sarcasm is the lowest form of wit," he told me.

"Did you know that sarcasm is the bodies natural defence against stupid?" I said back, grabbing some books from my locker.

"Wow. That stung. You have no idea how much it hurts being called stupid," he said back, sarcasm dripping off every word.

"Now who's being sarcastic?" I asked him.

"Me, obviously."

I smiled, he was very arrogant, but it was cute.

"I'm sorry about that by the way," he said to me. I snapped back to reality.

"About what?"

"Tripping you," he stated simply.

"No need to apologise, I get tripped by unusually long arms everywhere I go!"

"Really?"

"And here I was thinking that you got the concept of sarcasm!"

He laughed. Oh my god, that laugh! It was like melting! Keep it together Cassie! You do not melt! ETHAN MELTS! NOT YOU!

"Do you have Hero History next? Because I have no idea where to go," I asked him. I flirt. I am the flirting queen! Okay- so not really.

He nodded, "Yeah, I do. I'll walk you there."

The walk to History was strangely comfortable. I don't think you're supposed to feel comfortable with villains. It was weird. Before we reached the classroom I stopped him and said, "You know Lash? You aren't that bad."

He smirked, "Don't let it get out, I do have a reputation."

I grinned, "Scouts Honour."

History was pretty uneventful apart from Lash sitting behind me and flicking small pieces of paper at the back of my head. When I turned he smiled at me and I would smile and roll my eyes and the cycle would start all over.

Sometimes being a freak has its benefits.


	3. Saving the Citizen

I ran through the door carrying my black backpack and what was left of my dignity after my first day of school. I was oblivious to the fact that I had a massive smile on my face.

My mom totally picked up on this and asked me, "So- how was your first day of school?"

"Good. I made hero," I told her. It wasn't surprising that I had made hero. Being a pyrotechnic is like, a sure-fire way to be one. My mom was a pyro so she smiled. My dad on the other hand was the wondrous Wolf Man. That's where I got my fangs.

"Who is he?" She asked. I was shocked.

"Who's who?" I asked back, my smile falling.

"The boy you like. Who is he?"

"Boy!? There is no boy! God mom you are so stereotypical. If a girl is happy it just has to be a…" I told her. I could tell she wasn't buying it, "… is it that obvious?"

"Kinda. I was your age once too you know," she told me and winked.

"He's in my History class," I told her, smiling briefly at the memory.

"What's his name?" She was busying herself with some cooking at the same time so I had some time to think. What would my mom do if she new I had a crush on Lash? She obviously knew about the fact that he was apart of Royal Pains evil plot, or whatever. She probably knew he used to be in jail.

"I don't know his name," I lied. She just changed the subject and said, "What do you want for dinner?"

I love my mom. She always knows when to leave a subject alone. Like math. She left math alone for a long time, because I hated it (well, don't most people?) but I was okay at it. So I passed my exam anyway.

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Whilst I was on the bus to Sky High, a few people still screamed as it went off the bridge. I rolled my eyes. I didn't even scream the first time. Okay- so maybe I yelped a little but that is totally different.

As the bus landed I saw Layla and Will sitting near Warren (who was reading), talking to each other. I was going to sit with them when, surprise, Speed got in my way.

"That'll be fifteen dollars," he said, holding out his hand.

Come on Cassie, think of something sarcastic to say. Damn it. Nothing.

Lash came up next to him. Just when you thought you could see straight through a guy, here he was, bullying.

"Leave it Speed. She's no freshman," Lash told him. Speed just rolled his eyes and walked away… very fast.

Lash turned and smiled at me and then slinked away. His power is kinda creepy, actually. But he is still cute. And he defended me. I was a freshman… I kinda think Speed picked up on that.

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STC… (Save the Citizen) was very annoying to say the least. Watching dummy after dummy get mulched because Lash and Speed willed it. Such a waste of Dummies. But –giggle- I guess there's enough dumbness in Speed alone to replace them!

Okay. That was lame. Forget it ever happened.

So anyway, I had to admit that Lash and Speed were good. But then something totally weird happened.

"Lash, Speed. Heroes or Villains?" Coach Boomer… well… boomed.

"Villains," Speed said as if it were the most annoying question with the most obvious answer in the world.

"Why am I not surprised?" Boomer asked himself.

"We choose Peace and-" Lash was interrupted by Speed.

"Taylor. Peace and Taylor."

I sighed. I guessed it was me.

I got up and so did Warren.

Boomer announced, "Hot Heads One and Two versus Elasta Boy and Speedy McGee!"

I was nervous. Like- really, really 'I'm going to throw up' nervous.

Warren looked confident and said, "You take Lash- I'll get Speed!"

Both our arms ignited at the same time and I shot some at Lash. My aim wasn't perfect yet so they missed. He slinked over me as I charged him but I shot two blasts upwards that hit him in the stomach. He fell on top of me. Oh- great. Perfect timing Cassie. Shoot something that's DIRECTLY ABOVE YOU! –clap, clap, clap-

"Get off me Lash!" I said before pushing him. What I really meant to say was… well. Nothing. The boy that I most likely has a CRUSH ON was on top of me. Why did I have to tell him to get off? He just jumped off me and smirked. His arms elongated around me and held me very tight. I smiled and elongated my fangs to bite him. He let go immediately.

"Foul!" Lash yelled to coach Boomer. Boomer just told him that it was a power so it didn't count as a foul.

I smiled at him, fangs glinting, and threw some more fireballs his way. He dodged them, bending strangely.

The people around us started counting down from 15 so I took this opportunity to try save the citizen. I ran and jumped, grabbing the citizen. I did a somersault on the ground on the other side. I was gooooooood!

"She's alive!" Yelled Boomer. Oh. My. Fucking. God. I was a freshman who won STC. Sure, it had been done before but only by Warren and Will. Speaking of Warren, he looked like he had pretty much barbequed Speed, who was standing there with a very distraught and pained look on his face while Warren was smirking.

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At lunch I didn't even bother to take any mush from the lunch lady. I was satisfied with an apple from the fruit basket.

I sat with Layla and her friends listening to the gossip while not actually listening. I was looking over at where Lash was holding a small guy up really high and Speed was sitting there laughing. I went to intervene, ignoring the questions from my table and the strange look I got from Warren.

"Lash… put the kid down," I said, annoyed.

Lash turned his attention to me and smirked, as he said, "No, why should I?"

"Because if you don't I will roast you alive," I said. I, at that point, realised how much I had sounded like Warren.

He laughed and I sighed, resting my weight on one leg.

He put the kid down and backed me up to the wall behind me. His arms were on either side of me.

Okay Cassie. Breathe. He just smiled and said, "Hot Head Junior wants a fight. But without Peace she is nothing."

He spat the word 'Peace' out with venom in his tone.

I ducked under his arms and walked back to my table, giving him a very rude hand gesture on my way back.

God- that guy was such a jerk. And to think I actually might've maybe possibly had a tiny crush on him.

Man. I am such a loser.


	4. Internal Battles

I got on the bus the next morning not even thinking about Lash… or Warren. Or MEN at all. Okay- so maybe I was thinking about boys just a little. We've been through this, I am a teenage girl.

I sat next to Magenta on the bus and she asked me what was wrong. I told her that nothing was wrong and she just said, "Suuurrrreee." And looked at me some more.

I sighed. "It's Lash!" I told her. I finally gave up.

"What about Lash?"

"He's an egotistical jerk and it pisses me off!"

Magenta did the largest smile she had ever done, a half smile and said, "You could so take him."

"Last time I 'Took Him'" I said, hand gestures and all, "He pinned me against a wall."

_Which wasn't all that bad. _

_**Shut up. I hate Lash. **_

_Lash and Cassie sitting in a-_

**_Shut up! Shut up! _**

_Fine. So you don't have a crush on Lash. _

_**Thank you. **_

_You don't have a crush. It's way more major than a crush. _

_**What do you mean? **_

_You have a 'crush' on Warren. You are practically stalking Lash. _

After having an internal battle with myself, I reasoned to just be as mean to Lash as he is to me. Today was going to be hard with the whole 'Lack of Melting' at his laugh.

Magenta stopped talking about Lash after that, and I was happy to talk to myself.

_So. Have you admitted it to yourself yet?_

**_Admitted what? _**

_The fact that you are in love with-_

**_Whoa! Who said anything about LOVE? _**

_Not me that's for sure._

**_You are an idiot. _**

_You do realise that you just called yourself an idiot. _

_**I'm not an idiot, the part of me that said that I love Lash is an idiot. **_

_I never said you loved Lash, and even if I did it was a part of you who said it. _

_**SHUT UP!… hello? Good. She's gone.**_

The bus landed and I felt at ease with myself. I did not love Lash. He enraged me. That's it… enraged. I saw Lash and Speed tormenting some poor sidekick, but I just rolled my eyes.

Lash looked at me, our eyes met. He smirked and I glared. Why did he always have to smirk at me?

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I was in Hero History when it happened. He… as in Lash… sat next to me. I couldn't help but smile a little.

"Why do you hate me?" He asked.

I was a bit shocked to hear him speak in the middle of class after quite a lot of silence.

"You, Lash, are an egotistical jerk," I replied, looking straight ahead.

"You said yourself that I'm not that bad," He told me, still looking at me.

I looked at him and smiled, "People make mistakes, Lash."

There was silence for a while and then he spoke up.

"I'm sorry… for what happened in the cafeteria," he told me.

"I have come to learn that your apologies are usually empty."

"How would you know? You're the only person I've ever apologised to."

I was shocked. How could I be the only person he had ever said sorry to?

"Why?" I asked him, pretending to be uninterested.

"I don't know. I just sorta feel compelled to be nice to you."

"So you call tripping me and pinning me against a wall being nice?"

"No. I was referring to the apologies that followed."

_See! He likes you too. _

_**Shut up, he does not.**_

------------------

After History we walked out of class together. I asked him something important, "What does this make us? Friends?"

He smiled. Do not melt. Do not melt.

"Yeah, I guess so." He held out his hand again. I shook it, smiling.

Well would you look at that? I befriended a villain.

"Tell me one thing," he demanded.

"What?"

"Do you know about Royal Pain?"

"People make mistakes," I said, walking away from him

SCORE! THAT WAS THE BEST EXIT EVER! So- I am friends with him, he knows I don't give a rats ass about Royal Pain and most importantly… I touched his hand.

-squeal-

_Told you so…_

**_Oh- shut up! _**

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**Sorry about the short chapter. Please, give me any feedback… please? BTW- I know I'm not the only one who talks to themselves. Am I? Please, let me know if you identify with Cassie and her internal battles. **

**TTFN **

**SLittleA **


	5. Being Better

That same day at lunch something really creepy happened. So- I had accepted the fact that Lash and I were acting civilly toward one another, but this was way too much.

"Hey Cassie! Come sit with us!" Lash called from across the cafeteria.

I was on my way to sit with Layla and she gave me a very confused look. Actually I couldn't tell whether her look was confused or disgusted.

I mouthed, "Sorry," to Layla and went to go sit with Lash.

I sat down next to him and he smiled at me.

I was about to put some of the food in my mouth when I looked down. I pushed the tray as far away from me as it could go and he laughed.

"Yeah- they probably didn't consider the fact that food needs to be edible," he commented.

Speed was looking at Lash as if he had gone insane. I was almost considering giving him the same look.

What was this? The small talk, the invites? Was he just building me up for some huge humiliation?

Speed spoke up, "What is this?"

I was surprised, that was just what I had been thinking.

"Why are we sitting with a freshman?" Speed demanded.

"We are not sitting with Cassie, she is sitting with us," Lash stated simply.

"Why?" Speed asked, food dropping out of his mouth.

"Cos I invited her," Lash said, as if that answered everything.

There was silence while Speed looked from me to Lash and then back again.

"This is just too weird, I'm gonna go sit with Layla, bye Lash," I said, getting up and practically running to my own table.

I could hear Speed telling Lash off for inviting me but I was too preoccupied with the looks I was getting from my friends.

"Why in the name of all that is holy were you sitting with Lash and Speed?" Asked Ethan.

"Well… I'm kinda… friends…" I mumbled and then added, "with Lash."

After that I got some gasps from Layla and Maj while Zack, Ethan and Will basically just looked at me like I had gone insane.

"Dude, do you know how many times they dunked Ethan's head in the toilet? DO YOU KNOW!?" Zack said, basically grabbing me by the collar. I backed away and told them, "Lash is actually an okay guy."

Magenta scoffed, "What happened to 'Lash is an egotistical jerk'?" She asked me, referring to the bus ride to school. I shrugged, "Can't a girl change her mind?"

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I got home that day and my mom didn't even ask me about it. She just smiled and asked, "What do you want for dinner?"

Lash 

_**SHUT UP!**_

"Whatever Calvin wants," I said absentmindedly.

Tomorrow, I decided, things would be better. I would keep my Friends and Lash separate. My two lives would be completely disconnected.

---------------------

I was confused. I had told Ethan that when I was at lunch with them. Lash had not sat with me all day and I hadn't seen him picking on anyone either.

"I think something's up," I told him.

"I don't care about Lash… did you not HEAR the dunking speech?" Ethan asked me.

Finally he sat next to me in History and I managed to talk to him.

"Lash- you okay?" was all I could manage.

"Why would I not be okay?" He asked blankly.

"Because of that. You haven't been yourself."

He sighed and looked at me, "You really want to know?"

I nodded. He was my friend. Of course I wanted to know.

"I'm trying… to be better."

What? Better? Better than what?

"I don't understand…" I told him, looking him in the eyes.

"I'm trying to be better than I was," he told me, breaking the eye contact.

He and I were silent for the rest of the day. I was confused. Why the sudden change of heart? Why did he think he wasn't good already?

There was always tomorrow.


	6. Revelations

It was strange. My head was swimming. Lash wanted to be better? Better than what? Well, better than himself obviously.

That's stupid, I reckon. Why would he change himself? What would provoke him to do such a thing?

_You._

**_I thought I got rid of you. _**

_Well you didn't. _

_**Will you just piss off? **_

_No. _

_**GO AWAY! **_

_I said… no. _

**_Wait… what did you mean when you said that I was what was provoking Lash to change himself?_**

_I am you… you already know this information. _

_**What? **_

_Dude, you are so stupid. He's totally into you. _

_I wish…_ _A-HA!_ _Damn it to hell!_

During another one of my really annoying 'internal battles' I realised that Lash was probably changing because he thought I would like New Lash better than Old Lash.

I kept telling myself that it was stupid… but my OTHER self kept insisting that I was right.

On the bus to Sky High I smiled as only a few kids screamed. I had also gotten used to the whole FLYING thing.

Layla was sitting next to me on the bus. She kept ranting on about me and this is basically the abbreviated form of what she said:

"Lash!? LASH??!! He's a villain, Cassie. Don't forget that. How the hell could you be friends with THAT! I mean, I don't even think he has a soul, not to be rude. He is so mean, especially to sidekicks. If you were a sidekick he wouldn't even give you a second glance, you know. He is just going to pull you over to the dark side."

I would retort with small things like, "He's not a villain any more" or "He has changed" or "He's really nice when Speed's not around".

I bet I was just trying to tell myself that.

God. Maybe Layla was right. Maybe he was just trying to bring me over to the life of bullying?

He wouldn't do that. He had told me he was trying to be better.

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I had History first period, so I thought that I could sit with Lash and we could talk. It wasn't like we had any other time to chat because he was very silent in-between class lately. Bastard.

I smiled as he sat next to me. I was gonna talk his brains out. The talking I was gonna do to him. Wow. Would it be talkative. Now Cassie, just say "Hi". It won't kill you. Say it. SAY IT! Say something! Say anything!

"Hey," Lash said, he smiled at me.

Melting sequence activated. Melt in 5…4…3…2…

"Hi."

MELTING ABORTED 

I took notes in class, not really paying attention to what the teacher was saying. He was ranting on about some heroic battle… yadda, yadda, yadda. He was almost as bad as Boomer.

"How are you?" I asked. I looked seriously at him. "Seriously… how are you?"

The truth was I was worried. He was my friend right? Man that sounded weird. Lash… my… friend. Anyway…

"Why? Is something supposed to be wrong?" He asked.

"No. It's just you have been all weird lately. You know… with the ignoring and the quietness and the 'I'm trying to be better'."

I ramble a lot. Sometimes when I don't know what to say… I say the wrong things. This was one of those times.

"I am trying. What ever your definition of 'better' is, Cassandra… this is mine." He spat the words at me, getting up and changing seats.

Damn. I have screwed up big time.

---------

Lash ignored me in-between classes, he didn't even smile at me. I am officially worried about him.

"Maj… I think he's mad at me," I told her.

She shrugged, "So… he's a bully, Cassie. 'snot like he matters or anything."

I frowned at her, "I don't care if he's a bully. He's my friend, Maj."

Magenta cocked an eyebrow and then looked at me as if she had had a revelation.

"What?" I asked her. Not understanding her expression.

She just shook her head. "Nothing… nothing…" she muttered to herself.

Man. She has gone off the wagon… let me tell you. She looked as if she had seen a ghost. What had happened? And why wasn't she looking at me?

I was confused, and I probably looked like I was too.

Layla sat down next to us and looked at our faces, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Magenta answered too quickly. She grabbed my arm and pulled me away. "We need the bathroom, right Cassie?" Before I could answer she had pulled me through the Lunchtime traffic and toward the rest room.

Well that was just plain weird.


	7. Interlude

"What the fuck do you think you are doing?" I swore to Magenta after being pulled violently into the Girls Bathroom.

She stared at me, as if I had something on my face. I was becoming really claustrophobic, not to mention self-conscious.

"What?" I asked her simply, backing away from her.

Magenta gaped and began rambling, something I had never ever seen her do… ever.

"I can't believe I hadn't seen it before! With the sitting and the defending, it all makes sense now! How could I have been so blind!?"

I looked at her as if she was insane. She ran around the bathroom, looking for something. Checking under the stalls to see if anyone else was there. After making sure that no one apart from her and I were in the bathroom and whispered it into my ear. It was like… a raspy, excited version of her normal voice.

"You like Lash…"

I looked at her as if she was stupid, "Yeah- I like Lash. He's my friend." I grabbed her by the shoulders and began talking to her like she was a baby.

"Friend. Lash is my FRIEND," I told her slowly.

She slapped my arm and I let go of her shoulders.

"You like-him, like-him!" She told me.

_Well, I could have told you that! _

_**Can't you see this is a Maj/Cassie moment? Could you NOT interrupt? **_

_Sorry. _

"What?" I acted stupid.

"Don't act stupid, Cass… any idiot could tell," she told me. I used the exact words that had been used on my mother days before.

"Is it really that obvious?"

She shook her head, "No- not really. I just feel special. Who else knows?"

I thought… I didn't really know who else knew… "You and uh… my mom. Well she doesn't know it's Lash… she just knows there's a guy."

She smirked, "I hate it when mom's do that. It's creepy…"

We agreed and then snapped back to reality.

She looked at me, almost disgusted, and asked, "Why?"

I sighed and began telling her all of Lash's good points, "Well… he's arrogant and sarcastic," I began… wait. That isn't always good, even though I like it. I brought out the big guns, "And cute. And he's changing, Maj. I mean, he even told me so. And now he probably hates me!"

We were there in silence with Maj looking at me, and me looking at the floor.

"Dude, you are so stupid. He is totally into you," Maj told me.

Oh-My-Fucking-God. That was just what I had told me!

"Oh my god! That's what I said to me!" I told her. She looked at me, confused.

"Well, not 'me me' but the other part of me that kept telling me that Lash liked me. Or that I liked Lash…" I trailed off.

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Now that Magenta knew... Life was going to get very difficult.


	8. Flippy Things

The next day was very… strange. I felt like this whole new weight had been put on my shoulders after telling Magenta. Ironic, no?

Before classes started I was sitting with Maj- who I now considered my best friend. She was the only one who knew about my crush on Lash anyway.

Lash came up to me and said, "Cassie, can I talk to you for a minute?"

This was going to be fun.

"Anything you can say to me you can say in front of Magenta," I told him sternly.

"You really want me to say it in front of her?" he asked, annoyed. I just nodded and he sighed. Magenta looked on, interested.

"I'm…" he looked from me to Maj and then back again, "I'm sorry."

Wow. I wasn't expecting that.

"I accept your apology," I said.

He seemed automatically relieved.

"Can I please talk to you for a minute… alone," he said to me, eyeing Magenta suspiciously.

I nodded and told Maj to hold on while I talked to him. When Magenta was out of earshot he began speaking again.

"Can things go back to the way they were before?" he asked.

I frowned, "You mean you don't want to be friends any more?"

"No- I do want to be friends, I mean before the fighting," He assured me. I smiled and was relieved. I really wanted him… as a friend! Perv.

"Sure."

----------------

It was like that for the next couple of weeks. I would sit with Lash at lunch sometimes and he would get weird looks from Speed, who finally accepted the fact that I was not going away.

My mom kept asking me questions about Mystery Boy. She knew it was Lash… she just didn't say anything. I love mom.

Calvin gave me a lecture about hanging out with bullies. I nodded and said, "Ya-huh" when I was supposed to. Stupid Calvin.

Magenta stayed the only person who knew about the crush. I liked it that way, because I could trust her to never tell anyone. I felt a bit weird about not telling Layla though. For a while I kept on getting strange looks from all my friends, especially Warren. If I wasn't head-over-heals for Lash… I would've said that Warren was so freaking hot when he was confused.

----------------

One day before school I saw Lash and he was strangely quiet. I became worried so I walked up to him.

"Hey Lash, you okay?" I asked him, standing next to him on the stairs.

"No- actually. I'm kinda nervous," he admitted.

"Why?"

"Because I'm going to ask you out. And my stomach keeps doing these flippy things that I'm not that comfortable with."

Wow- that was unexpected. This is… weird… I tried to suppress my shocked look.

"Well, Lash, if it helps… I'm gonna say 'yes'," I told him, playing along.

He smiled and I began to melt, "Yeah, it does help. But that's only half of what I'm nervous about," he told me.

"Oh."

"You see, after I ask you out I'm going to ask you to keep it a secret… and I'm not too sure if you are going to be okay with it."

"Okay… well, in all honesty, I'm going to be okay with it, so you don't need to worry."

_Oh my fucking god! He asked me out!_

He seemed to relax a little. "Cool," he said to me, as if nothing just happened.

We sat there in an eerily comfortable silence for a while before he asked, "So Cassie, you wanna go out some time?"

"Sure," I said, smiling.

"I wanna keep it a secret. Are you okay with that?" Duh- yes I'm okay with it. We just had this conversation.

"Sure. Totally not a problem," I told him, smiling. This was so cool.

"Awesome… See you, Cassie," he said before walking inside the building.

_I told you he liked you._

_**For once… you were right.**_

_I'm you, which means you were right._

_**Yes! I was right!**_

_Haha!_

This is so cool. This is so cool… what am I going to wear? I have to tell Maj!

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**I'm sorry about this, but I am going away for a week to Queensland… no updates until I get back. And then after I get back from Queensland, I'm going away again for ANOTHER week. Sorry for all those WAITING people. I promise, Lash will wait.**

**Love Always,**

**SLittleA**


	9. Explinations and Sheila

**Don't get your hopes up- just a last minute update and then I'm gone for a week. **

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I was sitting at the lunch table that day with Layla, Zack, Ethan, Will, Warren and Magenta. I was aching to tell Maj about Lash but it would seem to weird if I just whispered something into her ear.

"Hey Maj… can you come with me to the toilet?" I asked her, giving her a look that hopefully said 'I need to tell you something'. She nodded and said, "Sure."

We walked calmly out of the cafeteria but as soon as we reached the hall we ran toward the bathroom.

After de-bugging the bathroom Maj looked at me expectantly and said, "Well? What is it?" I took a deep breath to try slow myself down… it didn't work.

"HeWasActingWeirdSoIAskedHimIfHeWasOkayAndHeSaidHeWasNervousAndIAskedHimWhyAndHeSaidThatHeWasDoingFlippyThingsBecauseHeWasGoinToAskMeOut…" I said in one whole breath. She seemed to get the gist of it but asked, "Flippy Things?"

She smiled at me and said, "Okay Cass… try once again… very… slowly."

I took yet another one of my very common deep breaths and said, "But then he said we need to keep it a secret… apart from you because you know of course, well, he doesn't know you know but I reckon you don't count from the whole 'secret' thing because you basically knew already."

She looked at me disgusted, "You said, 'yes'?"

_Duh_

"Yeah…" I told her, smiling briefly.

"Okay… let me process this," she told me, putting her fingers to her mouth in short of a gun-shaped way, "He told you that he was GOING to ask you out. You told him that you were GOING to say yes?" I nodded.

She sighed, "And then he ASKED you out… and you said yes?"

I nodded again, this time slower. Man… she got a lot of things from my rambling.

"This…" it looked as if she was going to make a final verdict, "… is very cool."

What? Very cool? What happened to disgust and repellence and even the slight nausea? She was okay with me dating Lash… not just that… she thought it was cool?

I took her shoulders and spoke to her baby-like again, "This is Lash… you realise. L-A-S-H. The bully… with the dunking and the tripping and the almost destroying mankind. You're not just okay with it… you think it's cool?"

She simply smiled a me and nodded before adding, "Uber Cool."

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At Hero History Lash sat next to me again… yippy! Any who… he passed me a note that said, "Where do you wanna go?"

I shrugged and he wrote, "Movies?"

I nodded. I could totally see myself getting used to this whole 'secret' thing.

------------------------

That Friday I told my mom that I was going out with some friends (she would never let me go alone. For a cool mom, she can be majorly un-cool.)

It wasn't formal or anything, so I just wore jeans with a skirt over them. Lash came inside… he knew that I told mom that it was a group thing so he played along.

"Hey, you must be Cassie's mom, I'm Lash," SHITDAMNFUCK. My mom got to the door before me.

I was half running down the stairs to get to Lash before he said anything incriminating to my mom. He was basically dressed the same as before. I liked it that way.

"Hey Lash… okay let's go," I rushed to get out of the house, "Bye mom!"

"Bye Mrs. Taylor!" Lash yelled out as we were basically on the front lawn already. We stopped at the pavement and he pondered for a moment and then said, "She seems nice."

We got to the mall for movies a few minutes later. I can't really remember what the movie was about… hey, you try to concentrate while HE'S sitting next to you. No wonder I'm practically flunking History.

After the movie we got pizza at the mall when… well slap my ass and call me a donkey. There was Sheila. Okay- Sheila was my best friend in Junior High. Actually, she liked to think she was my best friend… I didn't have that many friends anyway. She noticed me and waved frantically. I groaned and waved back meekly.

"Do you know her?" Lash asked me. I simply groaned in response.

"Oh my god! Cassie!" Sheila was basically an airhead. There- I said it.

"Hey Sheila," I said, getting up to 'hug' my former best friend. She acted all shreiky and exited about asking me where I've been for the past like… semester, when she stopped to see Lash sitting there looking very confused.

"And who are you?" asked Sheila coldly.

He got up and held out his hand for her to shake, "I'm Lash."

_Oh god this can only end badly. _

She looked at him, silently looking him over and simultaneously refusing to shake his hand. He pulled his arm back and scoffed.

"Excuse us Mash," I interrupted her and said, "Lash." She looked at me strangely and said, "what?"

"Lash. My friends name is Lash," I told her, motioning toward Lash who just waved slightly, almost mocking Sheila.

"Okay… LASH, can you excuse Cassie and I for a moment?" she asked, emphasising the word 'Lash.'

He nodded and said, "Knock your self out," I giggled when he added so that Sheila didn't hear, "please!"

Sheila pulled me away so that Lash couldn't hear what we were saying.

Sheila looked at me as if I had gone insane… I was getting a lot of those looks lately. "Who is he?" She asked me seriously.

"Lash," I told her as if she were stupid.

"His _actual_ name?"

"Lash," I said.

"Really?"

"It's the name his parents gave him," surprised? So was I when he first told me.

"And is he- like your boyfriend?"

"My friend… and a boy, I guess," I told her, thinking.

Did the secret rule count for Sheila, I mean, she couldn't judge him because she didn't go to Sky High.

Could she…?

**-------------------------------------------0----------------------------------------- **

**I'll be back in a week. See you then! **

**Love Always, **

**SLittleA **


	10. Tall, Skinny and a Sqealer

**A/N Back for a day. I had some major ideas for this story while I was away- I might be able to get them down right now. I hope so. Thanks for the kind words. **

**To answer a question: the 0's are to- in short- make the chapter look longer. They serve no other purpose. I know- I suck **

**---------------------------------------0-------------------------------------- **

"Good," Sheila continued, "because if he was _my_ boyfriend- I wouldn't show my face in public."

What? That bitch! Lash was nice to her.

"What, dare I ask, is wrong with Lash?" I asked her, my hands accusingly resting on my hips.

Sheila just scoffed, "What's RIGHT about him?" She motioned towards Lash who was patiently sitting, leaning back on the chair.

"I mean- his hair is too long," She began.

_His hair rocks. _

"He is too skinny and tall…"

_Maybe I like skinny, tall people._

"I mean, Cassie, you're tall and skinny but on guys it just looks weird."

I can't believe it. She is a spoilt whore… I hate Sheila!

"Lash is a nice guy, for one. There is NOTHING wrong with the length of his hair, and you just wish you were tall and skinny. I mean- look at you," I began, a little too loud and a little too harshly, "You're nowhere near as tall as me and you're like, three sizes larger than me."

Okay- Sheila isn't FAT… she's just… plump. Or 'big boned'… whatever.

Sheila just shoved her nose in the air. God that felt good. I have wanted to tell her off for ever. Once, there was this guy named Jackson. I liked him, he was nice to me. Once again- tall with long hair. She attacked him so much about his brother, who was arrested, that he left the school. I kept in touch with him for a while but he moved out of the country.

Sheila looked from me to Lash and then back again. Lash was looking at me and Sheila with a surprised smirk on his face.

"You've changed, Cassie," she told me.

"Yes, Sheila I have changed… into someone with a backbone!"

Needless to say she left us alone, walking away, trying to keep her dignity.

I walked back to Lash and angrily bit into my pizza.

"Thanks," he said, smiling at me.

"No problem."

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He walked me home, cliché I know.

"Thanks again- for what happened with Sheila," he said at my door.

"God- I've always hated her. It felt good," I said back- smiling at him.

And then he said 'bye' and kissed me on the top of my head.

I smiled and said bye as he walked down my driveway.

I walked into the house, and surprise, Calvin was there- waiting for me.

"Who was that?" He asked, trying to keep his cool.

"Lash," I told him simply.

Okay- he lost it, "LASH?! You went on a date with LASH?"

I frowned, "No… I went out with some friends, Lash just happened to be one of them."

Man- I'm gooooood.

"Oh…" he seemed to calm down, "but Cassie, you have to be careful around that guy. He's bad news."

I nodded, "Dually Noted."

With that I ran upstairs, into my room.

---------

I turned on my music, a song called "Jaded" by Aerosmith began to play, I turned it way up.

This was because I wanted to scream into my pillow.

I collapsed onto my bed, grabbed my pillow and squealed so loud I was sure someone would hear me, even with Aerosmith playing full blast.

I was just on a date with Lash. Not just that… but he kissed me. Fine- so it wasn't full on pashing, but he kissed me… on my head.

I grabbed the phone... but I paused. Magenta could hear about it later.

I dropped the phone and kept on screaming.

**---------------------------------------------0-------------------------------------------- **

**So- chapter one. Next one will be action packed, M rated. Ooh Lala! **


	11. Rumours and the Closet

**I am going as fast as I can to get at least three chapters up in one day. Cut me some slack. **

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It was lunch. I was sitting with Layla, Zack, Will, Warren, Magenta and Ethan. A girl I recognised from my art class came up to Layla.

"Hey Laylz," she said cheerily.

"Hey Madz," Layla said, grinning as widely.

Maddie, Layla's friend, could morph into a ball. I giggled a bit when I first found out.

"Any who, Layla… guess what I just heard?" Maddie said soflty.

Layla asked her what she heard and Maddie said, "I heard that Lash and Misty Frost where totally seen hooking up this weekend."

WHAT? What the fucking hell?

"I wouldn't be surprised," Layla told her, unimpressed.

"Yeah," Zack agreed, "Misty will take anything she can get."

Warren's eyes moved off his book and toward Zack slowly, glaring. Zack jumped and Warren rolled his eyes.

Misty and Warren went out for months before he broke up with her. Apparently, Misty turned into a total slut after that.

"No offence man- but it is true," Will said to Warren who just shrugged in response and possibly grunting a 'Whatever'.

But back to the point… Lash…. And Misty?

Magenta, who hadn't said anything, gave me a meaningful look.

I had told her about my date with Lash. I was really peeved. What the fuck? He was on a date with me… and then he goes to pash the school whore?

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It was in between classes, and I saw Lash at his locker that was conveniently placed next to mine. I tried to act cool…

"Hey Lash," I said.

"Hey Cassie," he said back, rummaging through his locker. He turned to smile at me.

"You know," I began, "There are some rumours going around about you and Misty Frost." I said this innocently.

"What kind of rumours?" He asked me smirking.

I smirked back, "I think you know what kind."

He simply smiled before I asked, "So… are they true?"

"Why? Are you worried?" He asked me. That attractive pig.

"Would you like me to be worried?" I asked him slyly.

He pondered for a moment before confirming, "I think I would."

"Then I'm worried," I assured him.

"Nah- Misty's not my type…" he told me, looking for something in his locker.

What? Misty was not only the school whore, but the official school hottie. What was wrong with him?

"Why not? She's pretty," I told him.

He shrugged; "She's too…" he seemed to be lost for words before deciding upon one, "Blonde."

I raised my eyebrows, indicating silently, '_Uh- Lash. Reality check. Yours truly is blonde'_

He hissed back through his teeth, realising his major screw up.

"She's too," he searched for a word again before saying, "cold."

"Cold?" I asked him, "Is that some sort of terribly worded pun?!"

I said this a little too loud. Misty could control ice and snow etc.

A got a few looks from passing students. Lash hushed me- obviously not wanted to be seen fighting with me.

"What?" I asked him, I was losing it, "Are you afraid to be seen losing a fight to a freshman? To a girl?"

He rolled his eyes and hushed me, pushing me into a nearby closet with him.

I continued, "What are you afraid of?" I was sure I could be heard outside the closet.

"Are you afraid of me?!" He just looked at me with a black face.

"Are you afraid I'm gonna-" I was interrupted by his lips pressing against mine.

I didn't resist, I looped my arms around his neck, deepening the kiss.

He put his hands on my waist.

_Oh god- oh god. Lash's tongue is in my mouth. _

He pushed me against the wall, making out bodies press together; I tangled my hands in his long hair.

I moaned into his mouth as he gripped my waist tighter before moving up to hold onto my lower back.

If it was possible our bodies pressed even closer, causing his leg to go in between mine and for my leg to bend slightly.

I let go of his hair and held onto his shoulders.

The kiss became more desperate, full of gasping and gripping onto various body parts. No not THOSE body parts. Sicko.

His hands came up to my head, his hands gripping the back of my head and pressing my mouth into his.

I could feel my body heating up instantly.

When we pulled apart, both of us were breathing heavily

He smirked at me and said, "Sorry- I just had to do that."

I replied breathlessly, "I'm not complaining."

He looked at the door and then back at me.

"We should probably go out there before people start wondering what we were doing in the janitor's closet."

I nodded. I fixed up my hair was lip-gloss before we burst out of the closet- yelling at each other.

"Why do you even care whether I'm going out with anyone?!" He began. I followed his lead.

"You're my friend, Lash! It's my bloody JOB to care!"

We stormed up at each other, glaring angrily.

"I have class," I told him simply before he replied, "me too."

We walked away from one another, turning our backs to each other.

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I was walking into Mad Science after Lash and I 'fought'. Mr. Medulla said, "Miss. Taylor, how kind of you to join us. Please take a seat."

I walked toward my seat next to Layla while Mr. Medulla added, "You have detention today, Miss. Taylor. And if I heard correctly, so will Mr. Roberts. What ever feud you have with him that made you miss fifteen minutes of class time, I'm sure you can settle in detention because HE will be there too."

Layla looked at me and asked, "You had a fight with Lash?"

I nodded, "I asked him about Misty and he just FREAKED out."

_Oh my god. Lash's TONGUE was in my MOUTH!_

**-------------------------------0----------------------------- **

**I might be able to do another chapter tonight after dinner, but this is it for a week if I can't. See you. **

**Love Always, **

**SLittleA **


	12. Love Sick with Best Friends

**This is going to be the only chapter that I'm doing before I go away. Deal with it. I'll be back to write some more. **

**Thank you for the kind reviews so far. I feel oh so happy when you send me reviews….. Send more reviews. **

**TTFN **

**SLittleA **

**-----------------------------------------0--------------------------------------------- **

Okay- so get this. My mouth tastes like vomit, my head is throbbing and I can't breathe through my nose. My hair is so big and knotty it could house small rodents and my skin probably feels like I haven't washed it in forever. My throat feels like one of the small rodents in my hair crawled down there and scratched it all up before returning to its impromptu nest. I probably smell like 'sick' too because I _am_ sick.

I have missed almost a week of school. I don't know how but I caught some freaky flu virus and now I have missed five days of Lash Time. Lash and I was a strange couple. We would act like friends; maybe even have a few fake fights now and then, and some real ones.

But then there were the dates and the kissing… which I am not going to get into now. Any who… I am SICK and it makes me royally pissed off.

I groaned as I got up, in realisation to myself. I am sick- another day of sick smell (not that I can smell it), lying in bed and eating practically nothing because I know I'll just throw it up anyway.

I got up and walked to the bathroom, swaying because I had NO balance. I looked and myself in the mirror. Oh God.

Basically, let's just say I wouldn't be surprised if small rodents were ACTUALLY living in my hair.

Whatever dignity I had before is now gone. I washed my hands and looked down at them. My fingernails were covered in chipped black nail polish. Darn. Mental note: Redo Nail Polish.

_Oh god… this is the worst time of my life. _

"Cassie, are you up?" My mom was at my bedroom door.

"Yeah mom," My voice sounded real raspy.

"How are you feeling?"

"The same," I told her, clambering back into bed with my box of tissues.

She gave me a sympathetic look before saying, "Check your messages, your cell rang last night."

I checked them… there were two.

_'Hey Cass, it's Magenta. Hope your feeling better. I might stop over tomorrow after school, bringing comfort food. I don't care if you'll throw it up. It's chocolate- deal with it.' _

I smiled at that. Magenta was, undoubtedly, my best friend.

_'Message. Number. Two' _Said the mechanical voice.

I listened intently.

_'Hey Cassie. It's Lash. Hope you're feeling better. You better be better in a week coz there's this beach thing, and you can't miss out. See you whenever.' _

Awwww. Lash called me. That is so nice.

There are three things I love; Friends, Music and Fire. Lash was slowly (but damn surely) creeping his way onto the list.

Beach thing? I don't DO beach. Actually- I kinda do. I go there on summer holidays. I hoped the weather would be good by the 'beach thing'… but more importantly, I hoped I would be better.

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Needless to say, Magenta stopped by after school. Mom sent her up to my room after telling her, "Be careful- It might be contagious."

She walked slowly into my room with a sympathetic smile on her face.

"Hey Cassie…" She said, walking up to my bed and sitting on it.

"Hey Maj. Thanks for coming."

"No prob Cass," she told me before pulling out some chocolate and handing it to me, "Here."

"THANK YOU!" I said before ripping into it. I had been surviving on chicken soup and I didn't give a damn if I threw this up- I needed chocolate.

Magenta laughed at my reaction.

"By the way- comfort food isn't all I brought…" she told me sadly.

"What?" I asked slowly.

She pulled books out of her bag and dropped them on the bed.

"Homework!" She told me.

I groaned… but then she told me, "I also bare good news."

"Tell me!"

She paused for a bit before unloading, "_Someone's_ boyfriend would not stop asking me if I'd seen that particular _someone_."

In other words, Lash had been asking Maj if she knew if I was better yet.

I grinned. And she rolled her eyes saying, "It's becoming rather annoying. Can't you just tell Lash that I know? Because it's always about 'History homework'" Se used hand gestures when saying 'History Homework'.

I laughed. Magenta could be_ so_ funny sometimes.

"You know I can't do that… because if I tell him he won't trust me to keep it a secret."

She just scoffed, munching on her chocolate. Through a mouthful of chocolate goodness she said, "Yeah, yeah!"

She seemed to get an idea and so she said, "Can't I just say that I saw you on a date, or kissing or whatever? It wouldn't be your fault if I found out by myself."

I thought about this option for a moment. Sure, it could work. But she could only tell him after the 'beach thing'.

"Are you going to a beach thing next week?" I asked her. I sounded weird because of my blocked nose. She nodded and said, "Yeah- everyone's going. Almost the entire school will be there."

I smiled, "Lash told me about it on the phone… well, he left a message about it anyway. You can only tell him about you knowing AFTER the beach thing. Okay Maj?"

She rolled her eyes and nodded. That wasn't good enough. "Maj, promise me!"

"Yeah! Fine! I promise!" She said, "Let's just hope that your boyfriend doesn't find out about me knowing first."

What? How on earth would he find out?

"Maj… what did you say top him?"

"Nothing too obvious, but when he would ask about you I would hint that I thought something was going on."

I sighed in relief. Magenta was such a good friend.

"You know Maj, you're my best friend," I told her seriously.

She hugged me and said, "You, Cassie, are MY best friend."

**--------------------------------------------0------------------------------------- **

**That's it for a week. Beach thing? Yeah- I know it sounded lame but it was just an idea I had. Tell me what you would like to HAPPEN at supposed 'beach thing'. **

**TTFN **

**SLittleA **


	13. A Test of Wit, Cunning and History?

Oh god- this is possibly THE worst day of my young life. I have just heard that tomorrow is drum roll my History Midterm. Not only have I not studied- but also I am well aware that I know shit about whatever it is we were doing in class. Sure- I've gotten by on pure luck and common sense up until now- there is no way I'll be able to pull of the Midterms without knowing squat.

It was Lash who had told me. We had passed the stage of unease and tension and now we felt we could talk to each other about everything. It seemed strange to have a boyfriend be your best friend.

((Flashback music. Screen goes all wavy and eerie music plays. FLASHBACK TO OUR HEROINES MORNING, ORNING, RNING…))

"Everyone- remember to be ready for tomorrow!" the History teacher had yelled over the sound of the end-of-class bell. I snapped back from dreaming.

"What's tomorrow?" I whispered to Lash who was shaking his head out of sleep.

"Midterms," he stated simply.

"What!??" I asked. He simply shrugged.

"You and I both know that I'm useless at History!"

He smirked, "You wouldn't be if you PAID ATTENTION."

I hit him playfully in the arm, "Like you pay attention, Lash."

He rolled his eyes, "Yeah- but I don't give a fuck whether a pass or fail- you do."

"I don't," I told him honestly, nervously chewing the skin on my thumb, "my dad does."

It was three days until the Beach Thing- actually called the Sky High Beach Bash. It was two days of Super Powers, underage drinking, music, swimming and camping on the sand. It sounded like fun to me. If I failed my History MT (Midterm) there was no way I was going. My dad is really strict about these things. Not that he would let me go to SHBB anyway, but going out at all would be a definite 'NO'.

----------------------------------------------------------

I got home that day after complaining to Warren and Magenta about Midterms. Warren had sat there, a concentrated look on his face, as he absorbed everything I complained about. Magenta had made sympathetic noises and scoffed at the end, telling me to get over it and just do my best.

My mom was in the kitchen, as usual, her arms ignited to turn on the failing stove. She didn't know I was there, "Turn on you bloody-" she said with a sigh as it flamed up at last. I smiled at her as she turned around. "Oh- Cassie, honey. Hey. When did you get home?"

"Just now," I told her, sitting at the kitchen counter.

She accepted that before asking me, "What's wrong?"

Mothers have a sixth sense for things like these. They can sense a child's unease as they walk into the room. They can sense when something needs to be done, or left alone or if something needs to be talked about. It's maternal instinct to protect your young but it takes a great mother to give your child room to breathe.

I sighed and said, "History Midterm tomorrow… and I'm going to fail." She tisked me and said, "Honey- don't say that." My voice rose to a slightly annoyed tone, "But it's true."

I explained to her about how I couldn't pay attention in History for some reason and she smiled a smile that made you think she was up to something or that she knew something.

"It's because of that boy isn't it?" I couldn't believe it. She had remembered the one and only detail given to her about Lash. He was in my History Class.

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I sat in history. Lash came and sat next to me. He looked as if he were half asleep while I was probably more awake that I had ever been. The test was handed to us and I stared at it.

Shit.

Not only did I most definitely NOT know the answers, I bloody well couldn't understand the fucking questions.

I glanced at Lash who had a surprised look on his face. He had the same feeling. He shrugged it off while it bunched up in my gut. He gave me a look that said, 'Don't worry.'

I wrote. My answers were general and vague, some even edging on stupid.

**What was the time period of the Second Battle of the Island of Arishmahar fought by Fatale Feline and her sidekick Cub Lad?**

I squinted hard. I had remembered something- I was sure of it. Wait- it's coming back to me… nope. Gone.

I wrote: _After the First Battle of the Island of Arishmahar and before the Third Battle of the Island of Arishmahar._

Just up and call me Fail Girl, and her faithful sidekick, 'F' Mutt.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I went home to find my dad in the living room.

"Hello Bud," he said. He had always called me Bud. I winced at his pet name for me. His thick English accent was cocky with the edge from North London.

I smiled shakily at him, "hey Dad."

My dad is possibly the person I admire most. He is like a wolf; his fangs, superior hearing and intense sense of smell are his powers, not to mention the fact that he can morph into any Canine creature. All I got were fangs and dreadful things they are.

I sighed and hoped that my test results weren't THAT bad.


	14. And the Beach was Painted Magenta

Good news, my Midterm results aren't coming in for another week, which mean fail or pass, I am _so_ going to the Sky High Beach Bash.

Layla, Magenta and I did a Round Robin. Layla said she's be staying at Magenta's house, Magenta said she'd be staying at my house and I said I'd be at Layla's house. I was fool proof. But we know very well that our parents aren't fools so it took some convincing for them NOT to talk with each other.

Magenta's mom was all, "Oh- maybe I should speak with Cassandra's mother." Hell no.

So any who- I got my best bikini and grabbed my bag. It was a simple bag with a pirate skull on it- I carry it basically everywhere.

Magenta had to go to the SHBB early for some reason- she said it was a surprise, so I didn't argue. Layla and I got ready at her house,

I was wearing a Motley Crü shirt that was way too big for me (but looked good over a swimsuit) and a skirt that made my butt look small. I have a fat ass, and I don't deny it.

My hair was left down and it hung just past my shoulder, curling nicely. Layla was wearing a green tank-top bikini underneath a beautiful white shirt and a pair of green shorts.

Her red hair was left loose with random braids in it done by yours truly.

I looked at my legs in the mirror and grimaced- they were nice, but I have a scar on my knee the size of Texas. Well, not literally of course but you know what I mean. Layla told me not to worry and I smiled, I looked goooood.

We applied light makeup and sun-screen and headed off to the Sky High Beach Bash.

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We arrived and half the school was already there- the majority of them high on something. It was still going to be light for a few hours, so before finding Magenta, Layla and I went and placed our things under a tree on the sand. The beach itself was beautiful. White sand and a clear ocean, those torchy things everywhere just aching to be lit. I smiled, this was my kinda party. I was tapped on the shoulder and I turned quickly.

Lash.

His hair was dripping wet- he had already swum. I smiled at him, "Hey Lash."

"Glad you could make it- that was some luck with Midterms huh?"

I nodded and he looked over my shoulder at the stage that was blaring loud music- nothing that good really.

He smiled at me cockily, "Have you seen Magenta?" I was surprised he had remembered her name. I shook my head and told him, "she had to come early for god knows what reason."

"Then I guess I'm God," he told me, grabbing my hand and pulling me over to the stage.

It was- oh my god. It wasn't? Was it? There, in the middle of the stage, singing very, very well was Magenta.

She was singing some Garbage song I recognised, _Bleed Like Me_.

She caught my eye and smiled at me, still singing into the microphone. Lash walked away, leaving me to look at Magenta with awe.

While I was gaping at Maj, someone was gaping at me…the guitar player of the band. He was cute, long blonde hair, the kind of guy I would go for… but I had Lash… not that anyone knew it.

"Avalanche is sullen and too thin  
She starves herself to rid herself of sin  
And the kick is so divine when she sees bones beneath her skin  
And she says:  
Hey baby can you bleed like me?  
C'mon baby can you bleed like me?" Magenta sang into the microphone. She caught the guitar players eye and mine and rolled her eyes.

"Chris is all dressed up and acting coy  
Painted like a brand new Christmas toy  
He's trying to figure out if he's a girl or he's a boy  
He says:  
Hey baby can you bleed like me?  
C'mon baby can you bleed like me?

Doodle takes dad's scissors to her skin  
And when she does relief comes setting in  
While she hides the scars she's making underneath her pretty clothes  
She sings:  
Hey baby can you bleed like me?  
C'mon baby can you bleed like me?

Therapy is Speedie's brand new drug  
Dancing with the devil's past has never been too fun  
It's better off than trying to take a bullet from a gun  
And she cries:  
Hey baby can you bleed like me?  
C'mon baby can you bleed like me?

JT gets all fucked up in some karaoke bar  
After two drinks he's a loser after three drinks he's a star  
Getting all nostalgic as he sings "I Will Survive"  
Hey baby can you bleed like me?  
C'mon baby can you bleed like me?  
Hey baby can you bleed like me?  
C'mon baby can you bleed like me?

You should see my scars  
You should see my scars  
You should see my scars  
You should see my scars  
Try to comprehend that which you'll never comprehend  
Try to comprehend that which you'll never comprehend  
Just try to comprehend that which you'll never comprehend  
Try to comprehend that which you'll never comprehend  
You should see my scars  
You should see my scars."

When the song finished Magenta bowed as the applause rolled in, from me as well. She hopped off the stage and hugged me and said, "Surprise?"

I laughed, "you were fucking AMAZING Maj, I never knew you could sing!"

She rolled her smiled at me and looked me up and down, "Looking nice," she commented.

"For anyone _special_?" she asked me, looking over my shoulder to where Speed and Lash were talking.

"Speed?" I asked sarcastically, "Nah- I'm more of a skinny guy type of girl."

The cute guitar player came up behind Maj and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Oh, hey Crispy," she told him. Crispy? Wow… weird name.

She went off to talk with him, but I could hear everything they were saying…

"Who's your friend?" He asked her, directing at me.

"Cassie… and no- she's taken dude so don't even ask her to dance."

He frowned, "Taken by who?"

"I'm sorry but your ride on the Maj train has ended… no refunds and no information given."


	15. Fighting, Drinking, Sleeping and Burning

Let me explain something about Lash and I. He is the sorta slightly punk-ish/emo styled guy who is actually kinda nice, I'm the blonde 'Barbie' (call me that and I _will_ kill you… pyro here, remember?) who's into heavy metal. Seems like a good match right? Wrong.

Okay- we fight. Not a lot, but enough. We never even fight about any important stuff, and two seconds later we can barely remember the fight anyway- but we still fight. Mainly about music.

It was getting dark at the beach- Magenta had sung a bit more that night and the guitar player kept on checking me out. It was weird; usually I would flirt or make it painfully clear that I hated him. One or the other… but I didn't. He kept asking me to dance… I said no. Who names their son Cripsy anyway? Okay- so that's not his REAL name… and my boyfriend is named Lash, so I can't talk.

I was sitting with Lash, who was now in dry clothes, his hair messy (hehe… I like it that way) from the salt water and sand.

"Don't get me wrong," he continued speaking, "Aerosmith is alright, but Thin Lizzy is better!"

I gaped at him, a smile twitching at my lips, "Come ON Lash, Thin Lizzy- as cool as they are- can never match up to Aerosmith. Next thing you'll tell me is that the Doors are better than the Sex Pistols!"

"Cos they are!" He said. I gasped and punched him pretty hard in the arm.

"Sex Pistols are like," I was lost for words, "THE punk band! They _are_ Anarchy!"

Lash scoffed at me, his hair falling in front of his face, "God! The guys voice is like a fucking drill through my head!"

"Yeah, cos you need a drill to get thorough your thick head," I told him. He glared at me and I smiled sarcastically.

Magenta, who was off stage for now, was listening to us and rolling her eyes. Lash looked ahead, and I kept looking at him. There was a comfortable silence before he said; "You know… you can't even compare Aerosmith to Thin Lizzy… or The Doors to The Sex Pistols… they're like… totally different."

I nodded, "Good point."

As much as I hated to say it, he was right. Magenta was being called by Cripsy, who glanced at me and I waved meekly. Maj got up and said, "As interesting as this conversation is, you guys… Cripsy's calling." She rolled her eyes and yelled to him, "I'm coming, I'm coming!"

---------------

Crispy's voice boomed over the beach, "Do we have any Aerosmith fans in the house?"

I was in the crowd so I cheered along with basically the rest of the audience. Magenta was only singing backup for this, but I watched anyway.

"This song is called, 'Devil's got a new disguise!'"

I gasped, that was pretty much my favourite Aerosmith song!

"Little Suzie Clue! She was a rebel! No Angel Wings, more like the Devil!" Crispy could sing, I admit it. He was hot, played the guitar and could sing. I sighed to myself.

"She was so HOT, so cool and nasty, believe it or NOT! Here's what she asked me…"

Magenta started to sing, "If you need love, with no condition! Let's do the do honey, I'm on a mission!"

Crispy started the chorus, "Girls so bitchin', my back bone's twitchin', cos down in hells kitchen, the Devil's Got A New Disguise!"

-----------------------------

About half way through the song I walked back to Lash who was talking with some people. He stopped talking to his friends and walked over to me. "Hey Cass," he said, smiling at me.

I smiled back and decided to toy with him.

"Do you think Crispy's hot?"

He looked at me, confused. Then he got it and looked at the stage.

"Oh yeah… a heartthrob."

I smiled at him, I had never noticed before but he had a tattoo on his shoulder of a long snake gripping onto a rose. I only noticed now because he usually wore long sleeves, striped of course.

"Nice tattoo," I commented, touching his shoulder absentmindedly.

It was getting darker now so I lit some of the torches with my powers and some random nearby people cheered. I bowed extravagantly, blowing kisses, causing a few people to laugh.

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Now that it was dark, people were going around with beers. Someone was talking to a girl, obviously flirting. I walked by casually and grabbed his drink, ignoring the 'Hey!" that followed after me. I gulped it down, savouring the taste. I promised myself that I would only have one drink. Four beers and two make-out sessions with Lash later, I realised that I had lied.

---------------

Layla, Magenta and I were lying on the sand, far away from the party. The music had become muffled by the sound of the ocean and we sat there, looking at the stars.

"Do you ever fight with Will?" I asked Layla somewhat drunkenly, breaking the silence.

"No," she said, "Why?"

I shrugged, saying "No reason."

Magenta, who knew why I asked assured me by saying, "I always fight with Zack."

I laughed, pointing out to her, "Yeah- but you guys aren't an official couple. So what, you went on a few dates?"

Layla propped herself up on her elbow, "What's this about?"

Magenta and I shook our heads "Nothing."

-----------------

It was well past midnight and the band had stopped playing. I had had at least two or three shots of tequila and I was as tired as hell.

People were getting ready for camping on the sand. Magenta was on my right and Lash on my far left. I sighed. I had now changed into boxers and a grey tank top for sleeping. Lots of people had brought actual pyjamas- so I wasn't a total freak. Lash was still in his pants but he was shirtless now. I enjoyed the view I admit it.

Everyone was quiet- a few people whispering among themselves. I was lying on my side, facing Lash with my eyes closed. I could feel someone looking at me. It was cool to be a dog freak sometimes because all of your senses improves… even intuition.

"See something you like?" I asked clear as day, yet unsure of whom I was talking to. I opened one eye to see Lash, propped up on one elbow- staring at me, sort of frightened that I had been able to feel him looking at me.

"Yeah," he answered honestly. I smiled to myself sleepily and turned over, feeling Lash's eyes burning holes into my back. I was going to have one hell of a headache the next day.


	16. No Headaches with Heartbeats

**A/N Okay- please review. Constructive criticism always welcomed. But if you just want to praise me, go ahead. Haha. **

**Sorry for the slow updating- been preoccupied with my POTC fic. **

**TTFN **

**SlittleA **

**-----------------------------------------------------0------------------------------------------------- **

I woke up. No- I didn't… I was just aware of my surroundings. I wasn't asleep, or awake. I love it when that happens. It was still dark, before dawn. I recognised the slow noise of the waves breaking gently against the shore, I recognised the sound of various people sleeping. But something was off. I could feel a thumping noise… I could hear it. For a while I figured it was my own heart- but then I realised it couldn't be.

In my aware state I forced myself awake. I opened my eyes to almost complete darkness. It was a few minutes before my eyes focused.

The thumping noise was a heart but not mine.

My hand was pressed into Lash's bear chest, listening contently to the slow sound of his heartbeat.

I smiled to myself as I acknowledged the arm draped over my body and the matted brown hair in my eyes. My arm was draped over Lash as well, I was basically using him as a cushion, I realised.

**--------------------------------------------- **

I had fallen asleep again. But I woke up to find that a few other people were awake. I rolled over into the coll sand next to me, causing my human pillow to stir.

I had to let go of him, as much as I didn't want to. People… awake, and a guy with a girl… asleep. It didn't look too good for our whole 'secret' thing. He was well known and recognised by everyone at the party, so anyone could say anything.

I got up slowly, stretching dramatically.

It was late- almost noon.

I tapped Magenta and Layla on the shoulders and said, "Guys- we need to be out! Our parents will start to go pissy soon!"

They woke up slowly, picking up their stuff.

While no one was looking I gave Lash a kiss, causing him to smile in his sleep. It wasn't much, just my lips brushing against his.

Layla, nor anyone else, had seen anything. I hoped…

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I got home and had a shower, washing the sand and salt (not to mention smell of liquor) off me before my mom could ask any questions.

I smiled as I got a text from Lash.

It read:

_I woke up and you were gone. See you school. Lash. _

I can't tell you how it felt. Kind of special that he had taken the time to write... it was a random, common gesture but it sorta made me happy in a new way.

I felt a little twinge in my stomach when I realised it.

Lash had made the list.

**-----------------------------------0----------------------------------------- **

**Sorry for the VERY short chapter. Writers block and all. **

**R n R **

**Xxx **

**SLittleA**


	17. From Lash's Point of View

**A/N I decided to do one or possibly two chapters of Lash's POV. Don't get pissed, its just what went on at Lash's house after SHBB. **

**xxx **

**SlittleA **

**--------------------------------------------0------------------------------------------------- **

I awoke to the sound of people leaving. I noticed Cassie was gone, as well as her sidekick friend with the good voice.

The night before had been fun, from what I remembered. Oh shit. I fell down- so THAT'S why I can't remember squat about the night. I had been high and drunk all night.

"Dude!" I could hear Speed saying from above me. I opened my eyes to see the silhouette of my best friend, blocking most of the sun from my eyes.

"Killer headache?" He asked me, helping me up off the sand.

"Cha!" I told him, acting as if it were obvious.

I realised that I was only wearing a pair of my jeans that hung on my hips. I grabbed my bag that held the rest of my junk and told Speed, "Shit- I should head home before Rose has a fit!"

Rose is my older sister. She's twenty and still lives at home. Okay- so she's 'renting' the basement. Whatever.

Speed shook a bottle of liquor in front of me enticingly and offered, "Something to clear your head first?"

I grabbed it and took two swings, shaking my head after to test if it had done it's job. It had, so I had a few more sips before giving it back to Speed.

I texted Cassie, telling her that I would see her at school.

I didn't live too far from the beach, so I walked home. In half an hour I reached my door. I looked under the rug and found the spare key.

"God, Rose is gonna be so pissed," I muttered to myself.

As I opened the door the sound of the television came up and made me realise that not only was Rose home, she was upstairs- watching TV.

She got up from the couch and faced me. Oh Fuck.

Rose has straight red hair, not bright red but dark red, almost brown. Her eyes are a teal colour and when she gets pissed they turn green. She was pissed.

"Where the FUCK have you been?" By the volume of her voice I guessed our dad wasn't home.

"Out," I said. She looked me up and down before saying, "And where are your clothes?"

I realised that I wasn't wearing a shirt or shoes. I held up my bag to demonstrate their existence before throwing it on the couch.

I was around 6-foot 1- way taller than my sister who is 5 foot 6. For some reason, she can still intimidate me sometimes, not that I'll admit it to her.

"Have you been _drinking_?" She asked me. I was still pretty high so I started laughing, running a hand through my hair. I said, "Oh yeah- I'm pretty wasted."

She gaped at me before muttering to herself about teenagers.

"You know dad is gonna beat the shit out of you when he finds out." I felt a twinge in my stomach. She wasn't going to TELL him, was she?

"What the hell Rose? You are not telling dad!"

She scoffed at me, "Try and stop me, Lash. Try and stop me!"

"What about all the times you came home totally fucked up when you were sixteen? You were high 24/7! What about all the fucking times you told me to hide your fucking pot? What about all the times you offered me wine from your stash? What about all those fucking times when I could have ratted you out Rose? I didn't! So I get caught ONCE, big deal! Dad wont even remember one night if he hears about all the shit you did!"

She was silent for a moment before she asked, "How many times have you done this?"

"What? Getting drunk? Getting baked? All the time Rose… only I don't tell _you_ about _my_ stashes!"

She was interested now, lowering her voice, "You have stashes?"

I rolled my eyes at her, grabbing my bag and walking up to my room.

Rose can be such a hard ass BITCH some times.

---------------------------------------------------

I was in my room, listening to Thin Lizzy, when dad came home. I had washed up so I didn't smell like a rave.

He had also been out all night, so he didn't know I was gone. Rose didn't tell him anything as far as I know. He didn't yell, so I guessed he either fainted or wasn't told.

My room is a sty- but I like it that way. I had put on a shirt so that my dad wouldn't see my tattoo if he came up.

There was a knock at my door; it was gentle so I figured it was Rose.

"What?" I asked. Rose's voice came from the other end, "Hey Lash- can I come in?"

I sighed and opened my door for her before going and lying back down on my bed. She came in and sat on my bed, I was confused- she wasn't being a total bitch. What gives?

"Lash…" She began slowly, "You know I love you right?" Oh, here it goes. I sighed and nodded, rolling my eyes, "yeah, yeah."

"I'm serious Lash… I told you everything when I was your age. I want you to tell me everything too."

I nodded, turning off my music. When Rose wants to talk, you do not mess with her. She can beat the shit out of people.

"First off," she began with a sigh, "Do you have a girlfriend?"

I thought for a minute. _Yes, yes I do._ "No."

She actually looked at me with disbelief, "What? You are totally hot! If you were five years older and NOT my brother…" She whistled. I laughed slightly- she always used to make those jokes.

"Hows school" Was her second question. I shrugged and she rolled her eyes. I didn't talk much.

"Who's your best friend?" Was the third question.

"Speed," I told her and she answered, "C'mon Lash- you can't still be hanging out with him!"

After a few quiz questions she came to, "Are you still a villain?"

I had to think about it for a while. Sure- I wasn't 'evil' anymore. I still pushed freshman around.

I thought. It was a hard one. Cassie didn't think I was a villain… but she was my girlfriend. That was different.

It actually took me a while of thinking, Rose looked at me, expecting an answer.

"What do you think?" I asked her seriously.

She smiled at me and said, "Well… your not a hero."

Rose was a shape shifter- but she had chosen to only use her powers on occasion. She still had a name though; it was "Changeling." It was kind of creepy but it suited her.

My expression didn't change but I nodded at her and she left the room.

I could hear my dad yelling at the TV and he said loudly to Rose as she came down the stairs, "What's that good-for-nothing son of mine up to now?" Rose didn't answer; she just walked into her basement.

I smiled- it was cool to have a sister… sometimes.


	18. Fears, Fathers, Friends and Family

**A/N Ever now and again I will do a Lash POV. But this chapter is back to Cassie. Thank you to LovelyLash for the very nice words. I am happy now. Just so you know- I'm feeling a dark streak coming on so if I start to get a little dark in later chapters don't sue me.**

**TTFN **

**SlittleA **

**-----------------------------------------0---------------------------------------- **

I sat at my desk. My eyes were closed and I was praying silently in my head…

_Please God- I know I don't pray much but I need this. If you get me over a C- I swear I will start going to church more often! I will convert my Jewish friends! I'll do anything._

I opened my eyes to see the sheet in front of me. D?! What the hell? Sucks to you, God, now you get nothing!

Lash looked at me from the seat next to me. He had gotten a D-. He didn't care though. He looked at me sympathetically, knowing how much crap I was going to get from my dad.

-------------------LUNCH---------------------

"How'dya do?" Magenta asked me. I grimaced and shoved the paper in her face.

"Ouch…" she told me softly, reading over my answers.

I grabbed my pudding and began to devour it ravenously. I couldn't help it- I needed comfort food.

Will and Layla came to sit down, shortly followed by Warren and Ethan. Warren's reputation hadn't gone down since he befriended the sidekicks, because people knew they could still get their asses kicked by him.

"Dudes," Zack said, coming down towards out table. When he received a look from Layla he added, "And dudettes!"

I smiled lightly- Zack was annoying sometimes, but still really cool.

"What's with the hubbub?" He asked, looking at my distraught face.

"Cass is going to get a mouthful from her dad when he sees this," Magenta said, placing the paper in the middle of the table. They all made noises, some muttered a 'wow' or a 'dude!' or possibly an 'ouch'.

I grabbed the D back from the table and shoved it into my bag. This was going to be hell.

"I know," Magenta said, "I'll walk you home and defend you from your evil dad monster!"

"I'll come too," offered Layla. Warren, Will and Zack, who offered too, quickly followed her. Ethan said he couldn't come because of his orthodontist appointment, but sent his luck.

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I opened my locker to find Lash waiting for me. "What are you going to do?" He asked me. I shrugged and said, "The guys are coming over to defend me from my dad."

He scoffed and said, "yeah, like they've ever had to tell their dad's off."

I grabbed several books from my locker and he offered, "Why don't I come too?"

I smiled and said, "My mom is in love with you, and if she sees you taking the piss out for her husband she might not love you so much any more."

He smiled at me and offered, "I don't care I'm coming anyway- whether your friends or your mom, like it or not."

He brought up a good point. Magenta wouldn't mind but Warren, Will, Layla and Zack may not take too kindly to Lash.

"Just don't hurt any of them. In fact- don't talk to them… or have any contact with them whatsoever!" I warned him.

"Okay! Okay!" He put up his hands in defence.

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When I got off the bus, Warren, Zack, Maj, Layla and Will followed. They all gave me a look that said, 'What the fuck?' when Lash got off too, ignoring them and following me. I said, "You guys wait out back, I'll tell you when to come in."

I opened the door and heard my dad on the phone, "Yes. Get back to me when it's confirmed. Yes… of course. Thank you. I know it's late in the year. Yes. Alright."

He hung up and saw me. His expression became slightly pained and concerned.

"Hey dad," I said casually, taking out my midterm from my bag.

He held up a hand, telling me to stop. "I know about your Midterm grade… and I don't want to hear any excuses. Principal Powers called to tell me about your dramatic slip in grades in History."

I closed my mouth and shoved it back in my bag.

"I can't believe you got a D, Cassandra. A 'D'! I have made it my responsibility, which is why for the remainder of high school you will be going to Xaviers High. It's for powered people too- but they have a wonderful history department and I think…"

All this time my mouth was hanging open, tears pricking at the back of my eyes. He was interrupted when Lash burst through the back door, obviously followed by Warren and Magenta. Slowly after them came Zack, Layla and Will who were a bit more cautious.

"What?" Was all I could manage to say to my father. I had noticed my friends coming in. They had been eavesdropping, and knew just when to come inside. I didn't care though. My dad was looking at Lash and the rest of my friends with a strange look on his face. Surprise.

"You can't make me change schools!" I practically yelled at him.

"She has too many friends at Sky High!" Magenta told him, stepping forward.

"Kids, go home. This is a family matter and it does not concern you," he told them with quiet frustration in his tone.

"No," Warren said, as if my father was stupid.

Lash finally spoke up, "What's up your butt?"

All attention was turned to Lash who was looking cockily at my father, as if he said these things to authority figures all the time.

"What?" was all my father managed to squeak out.

"I said, what the hell is wrong with you?" Lash said again, "Are you deaf or just a complete moron?"

No one could say anything; even I was standing still, unable to move.

"You rude little punk…" My dad began. This received an eye roll from Lash who said.

"Puh-lease! This concerns us as much as it concerns you. 'Family matter'- what kind of fucking game are you trying to play?" My dad was taken aback by Lash's language.

"We _are_ her family…" Layla began rather shakily, "In a strange sense."

"We're her friends!" Magenta said.

"Her BEST friends," Zack chimed in.

"And that is just like family," Will added, stepping forward.

Lash cocked his head at my father asking, "What are you going to do about it? It's not your decision to make."

Dad's face lit up in realisation, "You're on of those kids who tried to destroy Sky High!"

Lash's face hardened, "Don't change the damn subject old man! It's you against us, Family by blood against family by choice. Get over it."


	19. Lashing and Crashing

**A/N: DRAMA in the Taylor household. Go Lash! Okay- just a response to a review…**

**LovelyLash: OMFG! You are THE nicest person in the HISTORY of people! Scream- I don't care! Tell your brother to piss off! Hehehe! I might _actually_ love you! **

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My father just stared at Lash, lost for words. I just stared at Lash, lost for words. Magenta, Zack, Layla, Will and Warren just stared at Lash, lost for words.

Lash just stared at my father, giving him a look that said, "There's more where that came from."

Finally I broke the silence, "Dad… they're right. I have a family at Sky High. I'm not going."

His attention turned away from Lash towards me saying, "Yes you will and we will talk about this later."

"No I won't and we are _done_ talking," I looked at my friends and told them, "Guys, thanks… you can go home now." Warren nodded and left with Layla and Will. Magenta just looked at me, silently asking, "Are you sure?"

I nodded her off and she left. Lash just stormed out, not even caring what I had to think about it.

I looked at my dad calmly, "I'll get a tutor, and I'll study more… but I _not _changing schools."

With that I walked up to my room, not even questioning how I talked to my dad. It felt god for a moment… then I had a slight pang of guilt hit me. But it passed when I remembered; he was prying me away from my family.

-----------------Lash's POV----------------

I walked out of the house with rage building inside me. Who does that prick think he is? After about an hour of walking I automatically turned into my driveway. I unlocked the door, Rose was at work and dad was God-Knows-Where. I turned on the TV, listening to the incessant blaring of laughter at some sitcom that made no sense. I sighed and settled myself on the couch. I must've lost track of time because next thing I know, my sister is walking through the door.

"When did you get home?" She asked me absentmindedly.

"I dunno," was my reply. I actually didn't know… I had left Cassie's house at I DON'T KNOW o'clock. Hell- I didn't know how long it had been since I got home anyway.

"How was school?" God- what is it with this girl and questions?

"Got my history Midterm back, if you must know," I told her, flicking the channel to another.

"How did you do?" Shut up with the god damned questions already!

"D Minus," I told her. She made disappointed noises and said, "Lash!"

I rolled my eyes, turned off the TV and went upstairs to my room.

I sat in the quiet of my room and heard my father's car turn into the driveway. He got out loudly, slamming the door.

"Where's Lash?" he boomed to Rose, who was fixing herself something to eat in the kitchen.

"Upstairs," I heard her say.

"Do you know what that kid did? He swore at his friends father!" Oh shit.

He stormed into my room… I could barely hear Rose saying, "Don't!" over the sound of his feet.

He came in, glaring at me, I looked at him with a blank face.

"WHAT did you THINK you were DOING?" his face was red, I was actually scared.

"Helping out a friend," I mumbled as he came up closer.

"You can talk to _me_ like that! You can even talk to _Rose_ like that but you cannot go and talk to other adults like that!"

I stared at him as I said, "Fine dad. So I can talk to you like I talked to him? Fine."

He looked at me expectantly, Rose had come to the top of the stairs and was staring into my room, but I didn't care.

"Dad," I began, "Where are you all the time? Your not a work, I can tell you that much."

He looked at me as if he'd expected something worse so I continued, "You're never around, and you come home pissed drunk. That is no fucking way for any good dad to behave!"

He was taken aback but I still continued, "So what if I swear at my friends dads, its only from your shitty example! Only from you swearing! Only from you drinking! Ever since mom died-"

He cut me off, "Do not talk about your mother!"

"I will dad, I'll talk about her! She's dead! That's right- DEAD! Get over it you dumb fuck!"

His features softened and he said, "You used to be such a good kid."

I forced a cynical laugh, "That's funny, because you used to be a good dad."

"I am a damn good father! I put a roof over your head-"

"Yeah! Sure! A roof! Do you put food on the table? No, unless you call Jack Daniels _food_! Rose always pays for food. Rent, food… what are you trying to pull from her? Do you set a good example? Hell no! Do you remember when you used to be a good dad? I do- it was when mom was alive… maybe not even then!"

His face turned red again and he hit me across the face. I could feel it starting to bruise but I didn't care. The impact caused me to fall on my bed.

"Get away from him!" Rose shouted as she ran into the room.

"Stay out of this!" He yelled at her.

She pulled me up and turned to face my dad, "What kind of sick person are you? Hitting your own child!"

He slapped her, "There- I'll do it again!"

Without realising it I punched him in the side of his head. He fell.

"Don't… touch…. Her," I threatened. I walked down the stairs and out the house, followed by Rose.

"Lash! Lash!" She called after me. I didn't slow down; in fact I started to run. I didn't even realise that I was crying.

I ran until she wasn't visible to me any more. She didn't chase me. I ran even more, until my legs gave way- aching. My knees and hands hit the sidewalk with a sickening THUMP.

I looked at my grazed hands… they were bleeding slightly. My knees were bleeding more, the impact ripping through my jeans.

I dragged myself against a wall where I leaned, resting. It was getting dark and I didn't care. I knew I couldn't go home… Rose herself probably went to a friends place.

I walked on, my legs screaming in pain, my knees and hands stinging.

I turned into another house… Speeds.

I knocked on the door and Speed answered it. "Shit," he said to himself, letting me in.

"I need a place to crash," I told him, not caring that my face was tear stained, bruised and possibly bleeding. I tasted copper in my mouth that confirmed that it was.

He nodded, helping me up to his room. I collapsed on the stairs, my legs giving way again. I got up, walking despite the pain, to Speeds room.

"Thanks," I told him, looking at him. He smiled at me, "What are friends for?"

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**Darkness! Ha! Okay… so I know it's old. Lash living in an abusive home yadda yadda yadda! But hey… it's gold. **

**TTFN **

**SLittleA**


	20. Acquaintences, Ambulances and Answers

**A/N: Okay- I think for a while I'm going to swap between Cassie POV and Lash POV. It's just that I have great ideas for both and I can't contain them within their own chapters.**

**One again… **

**LovelyLash: Eeeeeeeexelent… thank you for your uber-nice words. Keep on reading and give me some ideas for an ending for shits sake! This is the longest fic I've ever done and there's a lot of pressure for me to come up with a good ending. **

**Thanks Again **

**SlittleA **

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((Cassie POV))

I was lying in my room. It was dark outside, almost eleven at night. My dad had dropped the idea of me going to Xaviers High. I decided that he had either given in or agreed with me. Probably the former.

On my bedside table the house-phone began to ring, I heard my dad pick it up down stairs…

"Hello?"

…

"Alright, hold on."

He walked up the stair to my room and said through the door, "Cassie, pick up the phone. It's for you."

I reached over to my bedside phone, picking it up and pressing it to my ear.

"Hello?" There was silence for a while and then a voice said, "Hello, Cassie? It's Speed."

Speed? Well… okay this is just retarded. Sure, I've sat with him at lunch and I consider him an 'acquaintance' but him… calling me?

"Oh… hey Speed."

"Listen," came his voice through the phone, "I know this is weird, you know, me calling you. But I didn't know who else to call."

I was silent and he continued, "It's Lash. He's here and he's in pretty bad shape."

What? Lash was at Speeds house in 'bad shape'? What did that even mean? I was panicking.

"What do you mean 'bad shape'?" I asked Speed, hoping my panic wasn't transmitted over phone lines.

"Well, he's bleeding a lot and he's passed out on my bed. I was thinking to call the Super Hospital but I don't know how serious it is, or how to explain it…"

"Don't you know what happened?" I asked him, fiddling with the phone chord.

"Well, he's come to me with this kind of stuff before, but never so serious it made him pass out or bleed this much. I don't think I should be the one to tell you how it happened anyway."

Speed was actually concerned about his friend, it struck me that maybe Speed was a human being. Huh… makes you think.

"Where do you live? I'm coming over."

He told me his address and I went downstairs to my dad.

I was hoping he would let me go, I was going either way but it felt better to know he would let me.

"Where are you going?" he asked me as I headed for the door.

"Lash was in an accident, I have to go to Speed's to see him," I told my father.

He considered for a moment and then nodded me off before saying, "Be back soon."

I was just lucky it was Friday…

((Lash's POV))

I opened my eyes a bit as I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. I closed them again as holding them open seemed like a huge effort.

"Here he is," I could recognise Speeds voice.

"Oh god…" I could recognise the other voice too. It was Cassie.

My eyes opened again and I could see them.

"He's awake…" Speed said and Cassie turned to look at me. Her eyes were half closed, as if she was trying to read some really small print or something.

She looked me over, her eyes pausing at spots where I was bleeding.

"Hey Lash," she said to me. Her attention turned to Speed and she said, "We need to call an ambulance, I don't think we're supposed to move him…"

"What?" I barely croaked out.

"Dude, we need to get you to a hospital," Speed said.

"No!" I croaked.

"I know… but we have to. You could be seriously hurt man," Speed told me.

"I'll… be" I took a breath, "fine." I coughed out the last word, little drops of blood spurting out of my mouth.

"No you won't you moron!" Cassie yelled at me, "we are getting you to a god damned hospital if it means killing you first!"

I smiled slightly, and nodded.

Their faces lit up and Cassie dialled 912- the number for the Super Emergency place. "Hello? Yeah- we need an ambulance."

She had to tell them my power, the address and my age and then she hung up.

"They're coming," she said.

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((Cassie POV))

Lash passed out after that. He only came-to in the ambulance for about three minutes, enough for us to answer some of his questions.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"In an ambulance on the way to the hospital," Speed told him. Me, Speed and two paramedics could fit in the back of the ambulance along with Lash.

The look on his face was panicked, "I'm not going to a fucking hospital!"

I glared at him and said, "Yes, you are."

"What's wrong with me?" this was directed towards the paramedics.

"I think you've broken your knee cap, along with a fracture in your cheek. We don't know the rest. How did this happen?"

He passed out.

I looked to Speed and said, "Tell us what happened!"

He shook his head and said, "I promised Lash I wouldn't ever tell."

"Tell _me_ what happened. I just need to know…" I said softly.

He shook his head again. For a bully, he was pretty good at keeping friends secrets.

"What are your relationships with this young man?"

"Friends," I answered, "We're his best friends."

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**Awwwwww. **

**Why doesn't Lash like hospitals? Who knows! **

**Why won't Speed tell Cassie how it happened? Cos it's a secret! **

**Will Cassie make her curfew? UNLIKELY! **

**TTFN **

**SLittleA**


	21. Gooey and Delicious

**A/N: Thanks again to LovelyLash for her advice, compliments and… yeah- that's about it.**

**This is starting out in Lash POV. **

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((Lash POV))

"Lash… Lash?" My eyes opened and I saw a blurred version of Cassie standing over me.

"Speed, he's awake!" She called to Speed who wasn't standing that far away. I had gone into X-rays and they had determined that I had completely smashed one of my knee caps- I had to have surgery.

I woke up in incredible pain. Not just my knees but also my face, arm and back all hurt like hell.

"How are you feeling?" Asked Cassie. I groaned in response before saying, "I hurt in places that don't exist…"

She laughed a bit and said, "Good to see you're back."

Speed came up tome and said, "Dude, they said you might have memory loss. Do you remember what happened?"

"I remember being at Speeds house… then I remember getting X-rays… then I was here. By the way, where _is_ here?"

Cassie told me, "You're at the hospital. You had to have knee surgery. You won't be able to stretch your right leg for a few weeks…"

No stretching? Is she insane? Wait… I am at a hospital? Holy shit!

"I have to get out of here," I said, trying to get up off the hospital bed that was too short for my body.

Speed pushed me back onto the bed, "You aren't going anywhere!"

((Cassie POV))

Lash was acting all weird. He really didn't want to be in the hospital. I looked at the clock that hung on the wall. 2:45 am! SHIT! I have to call my dad!

_Ring, ring… ring, ring… ring-_ _"Hello?"_

"Hi dad, it's me."

_"Where are you?"_

"I'm at the hospital- Lash had to have surgery."

_"You left over four hours ago!"_

"Yeah dad- I know. But Lash needed my help."

_"Come home NOW." _

"Not now dad, Lash is still acting weird. I think it's the drugs…"

_"Drugs? That punk is on DRUGS!"_

"No dad! The drugs the hospital gave him to numb the pain."

There was a sighing noise from the other side of the phone line and then he said something I didn't think he would say…

_"Let me talk to him." _

"Dad… do you really think this is the-"

_"Let me talk to him!"_

I handed the phone over to Lash who gave me a confused look. I mouthed to him, "It's my dad."

He shrugged; wincing in pain at how much effort the simple gesture took.

He pressed the phone to his ear and said, "Uh… hello?"

((Lash POV))

I was really confused… not to mention in tremendous pain. I held the phone to my ear and said, "Uh… hello?"

_"Hello. Lash? This is Mr. Taylor, Cassie's father." _

"Oh… uh… hi."

_"I'm sorry about your injuries, how bad is it?"_

"I don't know."

_"What happened?" _

I paused… I couldn't tell him what happened.

"I had an accident."

_"Specifically?"_

"I'd rather not tell you that," I told him coldly.

There was a silence at the end of the line.

_"Was it your father?"_

I hardened and wished I could just tell him yes.

"No. Why would it be him?"

There was a sighing noise before he said; _"I called your father about what happened at my house before you left." _

"Sure. I got in trouble for it."

_"Did this 'trouble' have anything to do with your injuries?"_

--beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep—

I hung up.

I looked up to see Cassie and Speed looking at me as if I was a leper. I decided to break the silence, "I'm hungry. What does a severally injured person have to do to get some food around here?"

They smiled at me slightly; happy to see I was myself. Speed and Cassie helped me onto a wheelchair. It felt weird, I never like people doing things for me- it makes me feel weak.

Speed was pushing me in the food line at the hospitals cafeteria… probably because he wanted food too. I've never seen Cassie eat that much. So she got us a table while Speed and I got food.

"I have to get out of here, man," I told him. He said, 'No dude, I know you don't like hospitals but you can't even walk."

I titled my head back and closed my eyes in frustration.

We reached the dessert section and he said to me, "Is that Marble Cake?" I looked at the two desserts and nodded and then pointed to the second, "What's this?"

He shrugged and, "I don't know. But it looks delicious and gooey. Which one should we get?"

I thought and said, "Let's get one of each."

He laughed and said, "Yeah."

"Now we're living dangerously!" I joked as he wheeled my to the table where Casse was sitting. Cassie looked at the "Gooey" dessert and said, "That looks so good. I'm gonna get some."

As she went away I turned to Speed and said, "I need to call Rose."

He looked at me and said, "Why?"

"Because he got her too. She wouldn't have gone home, but I think I know where she is."

Speed nodded, he understood.

((Cassie POV))

I walked back to the table with my gooey dessert thing and Lash and Speed both looked at me as I sat down. "What?" I never like being looked at, it makes me feel self-conscious.

"What did your old man say to you?" Lash asked, prodding his Marble Cake.

"I told him you were on drugs," I laughed when Lash looked at me with one raised eyebrow.

Speed laughed and said, "It's funny cos you are… not the good kind but the morphine kind."

Lash glared at him and rolled his eyes. I took a bit of my gooey cake and thought, _People would freak if I told them that Lash is my boyfriend. Especially Speed._


	22. Soaked to the Skin

**A/N: New chappie! Yay for me! **

**R and R people- can't have me without any stimulation now can you? No stimulation crappy story. Crappy means bad. **

**MWAH! **

**SlittleA **

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((Lash POV))

_Ring, ring... ring ring... ring ring... ring ring..._

_"Hello?"_ I took in a deep breath.

"Hey, Rokett? It's Lash."

The girl on the other end seemed to lighten up a bit.

_"Oh, hey Lash." _

"Is Rose there?"

_"As a matter of fact, she is. Do you wanna talk to her?"_

"Yeah. Can you put her on the phone?"

The sound of my sister's best-friends footsteps calmed me and the shouting, "Rose! It's Lash!" helped too.

The phone was fumbled and eventually I could hear my sisters voice, _"Hey Lash? You okay? Where are you?" _

"Hi. No and at a hospital."

_"Holy shit! What happened?"_

"I busted my knee- Cassie and Speed took me to the hospital."

There was silence for a while and then she said, _"I'm proud of you Lash." _

"Why? For getting myself severally injured and getting knee surgery?"

She laughed, _"No- for being in a hospital. I know how hard that is for you." _

I was silent before she asked, _"Uh… who's Cassie?" _

"My friend from school. She's here too."

_"Do they know what happened? And you're still not goign to report dad... are you?"_

"Only Speed knows and no… I won't."

She sighed on the other end and said, _"Lash… you can't keep defending him. You know he's cruel. He's not fit to have ki-" _

"I KNOW!" I said too loudly, "But if he's gone… I have nowhere else to go." I said the last part softly, so that Cassie and Speed wouldn't hear me.

((Cassie POV))

I didn't know that Lash had a sister. But I guess she wasn't mentioned because she's already graduated from Sky High. He seemed to be really distraught as he talked to her. He hung up the phone and attempted to wheel himself over to us. He tried to push the chair but he pulled his arm back, holding it in pain. Speed wheeled him over to us and I told him to try and get some sleep.

"Rose is coming in the morning," he told Speed and I. We nodded and helped him onto the bed.

He seemed really fake when he was sleeping. He couldn't lie naturally because his knee would be in too much pain if he did, so he just lay on his back and it made him seem really phony.

I was sitting in the chair next to the bed- I dozed off for a while, without wanting to.

It happened again… the aware state. I could hear it had stared to rain outside- heavily. I could hear the monitors beeping and I could smell the sickness around me. I could hear people moving in their sleep, I could hear wheeling of Lash's chair… wait. What? It took me a while to force myself awake but when I did my eyes automatically adjusted to the light in panic.

I looked around- Lash's chair was gone. Lash was gone and Speed was still asleep. I ran out of the room and down the stairs.

Oh god- oh god. Where is he?

I saw him wheeling himself out of the door of the emergency room and I tried to run after him. He was going faster than me and I was bumping into all the people piled into the room with early morning accidents. The sun hadn't risen yet but the city lights were bright.

Eventually I got outside to see him witting on a bench next to his chair, just sitting- getting soaked in the rain.

He had gotten changed, I realised, into his jeans again. I came and sat next to him casually- even though the situation wasn't casual.

We were two people sitting on a bench in the pouring rain in the middle of the night outside a hospital.

Eventually I was soaked to the skin and so was he, but we kept on sitting in silence before I asked, "Why are we here?"

He laughed and said, "I didn't know you were that philosophical."

I shook my head and said, "No… I'm not. I mean- why are we sitting on this bench in the rain?"

We had to shout over the sound of falling rain, and my hair was weighed down with water, partially blocking my ears.

"I had to get out," he explained.

"Why?"

He was silent and said, "Let's just say I'm sick of being in hospitals, okay?"

"Why?"

He looked at the black sky in frustration, "Will you stop asking that?"

"No," I stated plainly, "Not until I get some of my questions answered."

He was silent for a while and we sat in the pouring rain. I was going to be sick- I knew it. So was he, but hey, at least this means he wouldn't have to go to school with a busted knee.

"My mom," he said.

"What?"

"My mom- she died in hospital."

"I'm sorry… I didn't know."

He was silent again and I asked, "Was it sudden?"

I didn't mean to bring up such a personal subject but I cared about him and needed to know.

"No," he began, "It was painfully slow. She was dead a long time before she died, you know?"

I didn't say anything.

"I spent all my time in a hospital and eventually it scared me… the smell, the environment. It freaked the shit out of me."

I nodded before he began again, "I lost my trust in hospitals. They couldn't save her… they just let her die. Told us that 'there was nothing more they could do.'"

I looked at him but he didn't make eye contact with me.

"And then she died… not really but to me. She didn't talk anymore, she didn't move. She didn't wake up. She wasn't my mom any more. Her soul was dead."

This was deep stuff. I never expected this to come from Lash.

"And eventually," he told me, finally making eye contact, "She stopped breathing."

His voice never wavered once in his entire speech, tears not even threatening to break through.

"When she died my dad started drinking so my sister offered to move in- keep an eye on me."

It hit me… that was how he had injured himself. His dad had hit him. I broke eye contact with him and he stopped talking.

We looked ahead- both soaked to the skin and still getting more soaked by the minute. As the sun began to rise over the hill in front of the hospital the rain began to stop.

"You're a good listener," he told me.

"It's one of my better qualities," I smiled at him, helping him on his wheelchair.

As I wheeled him back in, we both looked at each other. As we looked each other up and down he laughed and said, "You're soaked."

"Yeah… but no more that you."


	23. Completely In Love

**A/N; Going into Fluffy country a TINY bit with this chapter. Read on and find out WHAT HEPPENS NEXT!**

**Mwhahahahahaha! **

**Okay- that is all.**

**xxx**

SLittleA 

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I awoke with a start. As I looked around the hospital room I suddenly came to a sickening 'early-morning' realisation… I was in a hospital.

I looked at the sleeping lump that Lash made in the too-small hospital bed and then gazed over to where Speed was sleeping in a nearby chair.

_I wonder when Lash will be able to go home…_

Oh wait. Shit.

I doubt he wants to go home to his father. Even though he hadn't told me, I can put two and two together. I shook my head out of sleep and went to the bathroom to wash my face.

The rainstorm last night hadn't helped my curly hair, and it was now frizzy and annoying. I rolled my eyes and stepped outside of the bathroom to see that Speed was waking up.

He seemed to get the same fright as I had gotten- the whole 'where the hell am I' thing.

I looked at the clock that hung on the wall. It was almost ten.

"Morning Speed," I told him glumly as I went to go rummage through my bag for money for the payphone.

"How long have you been up?" He asked. I shrugged and said, "Not long."

The dark circled under my eyes proved that I had gone to sleep late that night.

There was a faint knock at the door.

I opened the door slowly. Standing there was a girl, possibly a little shorter than me, but older. She had straight dark red hair and I assumed it was Lash's sister.

I smiled lightly at her and said, "You must be Rose."

She nodded and walked in as I stepped aside. She quickly walked over to Lash's bed and asked, "Why is he wet?"

Reflexively I touched my own damp hair and said, "He decided to have an early morning stroll in the pouring rain."

((Lash's POV))

I opened my eyes. Rose? What the hell?

"Hey…" I said softly to whoever was within earshot. Cassie and Rose turned to me and Rose said, "Hey, you're awake."

I sat up and ran my hand through my damp hair, "What time is it?"

"Just a little past ten," Cassie told me, looking at the clock.

Doctor Spex came in after a while. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and looked at me. "Lash J. Roberts?"

I nodded and she walked up to me and said, "Time for your painkillers."

I sat up more and joked, "Drug me up!"

I felt really woozy after getting the painkillers but Dr. Spex said, "You can check him out today. He's making fantastic progress."

I looked at Rose. I didn't want to go home. But where else was I supposed to go? Rose suggested, "I talked to Rokett… and she says there's always room for one more at her place."

I shook my head, "I'd rather go home than go to Rokett's."

Speed looked at me, raising an eyebrow. Rose looked at me with black shock.

Cassie half-smiled.

((Cassie POV))

I half smiled. "You know," I began, "If you can't go home, you can always stay at my place for a while. We have the room and my parents will let you."

He frowned, "Your parents probably hate me after what I did the other day."

"Her father is the one you swore at?" Rose asked. We all nodded meekly, possibly muttering a "Kind of" or a "Yeah".

"But," I assured them, "My mom is totally in love with you and my dad doesn't hold grudges. Even Calvin would put up with a partially disabled Lash for a bit."

He smiled… "Cool."

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I had to call my house to confirm that Lash could stay there. Rose, Speed and Lash had gone to get breakfast but I suddenly wasn't hungry. Cassie you idiot! What the fuck were you thinking! What are you going to say?… 'Oh hey mom and dad. This is Lash- my senior boyfriend who swore at dad and tried to destroy the school at last year's homecoming. He's going to be staying at our house for a while because his father abuses him!'

YEAH RIGHT!

_Ring ring, ring ring… ring ring, ring ring._

"_Hello?"_

Oh thank god! It was my mom!

"Mom? It's Cassie."

"Oh thank goodness! I was beginning to worry. Your father said one of your friends got hurt. Are you still at the hospital?"

"Yeah, I am. But there is something I need to ask you…"

_"What is it dear?"_

"Lash can check out today but he can't go home… could he stay at our place for a bit?"

_"Oh goodness! Is the injured one your friend Lash? Of course he can stay here! How long?"_

"I'm not sure. Days?" I added softly, "Weeks, months…"

_"He can stay for as long as he needs to."_

I smiled. My mom was COMPLETELY in love with Lash.

I walked over to the cafeteria to tell Lash the good news. When I got there I told him that my mom was still in love with him and he smiled.

"I can have that effect of people," he told me with an arrogant smirk.

"Just don't kill anything in the house?" I warned him.

"Fine! Fine!" He held up his hands in mock defeat. I sat next to him and under the table he brushed his leg against mine looked at me with a lopsided smile. I smiled back tiredly and touched his leg with mine. As I poked the ospital Cefeteria food I wondered... who would really care if Lash and I were together?

**-----------------------------------------------------------------**

**A/N: Thanks to LovelyLash for the comments. And yes- the "Now we're living dangerously" thing _is_ in fact from the Behind the Scenes of Sky High. I just thought it was funny and suited the situation, not to mention Lash's character. I am in love with Lash... sigh**

**xxx**

**SLittleA (P.S.- I started my new year at school today. Whoopie.)**


	24. Inconspicuous

**AN: Yes, LovelyLash I did take your advice… but it's not ending just yet! **

**Dun dun dun!!!! **

**Okay- so Lash is injured and moving into Cassie's house. Freaky? Definitely. **

**Love Ya **

**SlittleA **

**-------------------------------------------0------------------------------------------------- **

((Lash POV))

The ride in Rose's car was very still and quiet. I looked out one window and Speed looked out the other. Cassie's folks had picked her up and taken her home… so it was just Rose, Speed and I on the way back from the hospital. I was scared- to be honest. I didn't want to go inside my house. My dad might be there. Rose had told me that she was just going to go in. Speed was going to help her bring some of our stuff into her car and then I would be unloaded at Cassie's place later.

But for now… there was quiet.

"So," Rose said suddenly, breaking the silence.

Speed and I both looked up to catch Rose's eyes in the rear-view mirror.

"How long have you known Cassie?"

I thought. I had only known her since the beginning of the year- but we were half way through the year already.

"She started at Sky High this year," Speed piped up. Rose seemed to accept this and moved on to question number two, "What's her power?"

"Pyro," I said, beginning to look out the window again.

"And she has these freaky fang things," Speed added.

"Well she's gorgeous," Rose concluded.

_Yeah. She really is. _

"Whatever," I mumbled.

"I'm serious," Rose prodded, "She's really pretty."

_Thanks… already knew that._

I grunted, pretending to not pay attention.

((Cassie POV))

When I got back to my house my mother was watching television. She turned to face me when I walked inside. "Hey honey," she told me, "When is Lash coming?"

"Later," I said, "He has to pick up some stuff."

She 'tutted' herself for thinking other wise and muttered, "Of course."

She asked me to get the Guest Room ready for him and I obliged. I looked at the room. It was normal with dark blue sheets and clashing curtains- my mom was a clasher.

It was plain- but I felt as if Lash being here for more than a day would make it messy and probably a sty. I smiled a bit to myself feeling as if Lash's presence was going to make this room better.

((Lash POV))

In a blur of movement Speed was rushing inside the house and to the car and back again. He was carrying bags, suitcases, and boxes etc. that were mainly Rose's.

I sat in the car, sulking. So yeah- I was sulking. What of it? It's not like I wasn't glad Cassie offered for me to stay at her place but… you know. At her _house_. She's my _girlfriend_. Okay- so a secret girlfriend, but a girlfriend non-the-less and every time I see her I just want to kiss her. That's going to be _very_ hard to control if I see her 24/7, at 'home', a school… possibly when I'm sleeping.

Okay- I never said anything about that. Tell any one and I swear to got I will turn you into a baby. I've done it before!

So once everything was loaded Speed and Rose came back toward the car. Rose had anger in her eyes, they were green- bright green. Like Layla green.

Speed rushed into the car and Rose stomped in angrily.

I turned towards the house to see my father come out- a red face, yelling at the top of his lungs.

"Neither of you come back! You ungrateful dicks!" He was drunk… but I took his words to heart. Without doing anything (that bad anyway) I had just been kicked out.

Shit.

((Cassie POV))

I heard Lash's sister's car turn into the driveway- Lash stepped out. He was on crutches now- that was good. He didn't need a wheelchair. I opened the door and walked over to him, "Hey- good to see you're on your… large wooden sticks."

He smirked at me, "Good to see my near death experience hasn't effected your sense of humour."

I scoffed, "Near death? Lash, you had an accident… no possibilities of death were implied… at all. Get over yourself."

We locked eyes in silence for a moment. I realised that Lash's eyes weren't just brown; they had flecks of light brown in them, and even flacks of black. I snapped out of the hypnotising trance when I noticed Rose struggling with a bag, I ran over to her.

"Here- let me help," I offered, grunting with effort to haul the bag. Despite my tall-ness (Is that even a word?) I wasn't very strong.

I lugged the bag to the door where my mother picked it up, smiling at the boy on crutches in our driveway. He made a small waving gesture at my mom before heading over to us.

_He was, honestly, the most beautiful thing to ever be on crutches. _

**_Okay… you can be quiet now. _**

_I swear to god you could have put a flock of pure-white doves on golden crutches and it wouldn't look half as good as Lash on his old brown ones with his messy hair and old clothes._

**_Shut up! _**

_Why are you telling me to shut up? He's our boyfriend. _

**_Because I can't go through with these "I'm in love with Lash" things right now. _**

_Why? _

**_Just… be quiet. _**

Rose lugged another two bags upstairs for him and I showed him the room.

"So," I began sarcastically, "This is the incredible suite- it features 'window facing brick wall' and 'very little closet space' followed by the extreme lack of ventilation. Hope you enjoy."

"It's great Cass… really. Thanks," He said sincerely, looking around the room.

He put the crutches in the corner and went to the bed. He bounced on it, a childish look on his face.

I giggled slightly at his simple gesture. And he locked eyes with me again. It was weird… like, I don't know. I can't describe it.

Next thing I know I'm pinned against a wall with Lash's lips teasing on mine, brushing softly. We had just started actually making out when a call was heard from the stairs. "Lash?"

_Go away! Can you never just leave me alone! _That girl is going to have a serious injury if she doesn't go away…

"Lash!"

Okay- so maybe, not such serious a serious injury. We pulled away from each other and Lash called down the stairs impatiently, "yes?" Rose's footsteps could be heard coming from the hall so I moved to the other side of the room. Come on Cassie. Inconspicuous… you can DO IT!

**AN: **

**Sorry for slow (that's right… this is SLOW, despite what other writers might think) updating. **

**I'll ttyl. **

**SLittleA**


	25. Guinea Girl

**A/N: I am tired as hell so sorry about any grammatical errors that may plague this particular chapter. Haha.**

**Soo- my typing is gonna be allover the place. Like how 'allover' should actuallt be 'all over'. Yeah. So my typing has had to be corrected a few times. I just spelled 'corrected' like this before changing it: 'cortexcted'. **

**I know- I am the God of all that is lame. **

**Cassie's feelings about the colour pink surprisingly mirror my own. Wow. I wonder why… hmmm. **

**Anyway- I love you all. **

**TTFN **

**SlittleA **

**--------------------------------------------0---------------------------------------- **

****

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****

**_BlackLavender has just signed in. _**

**PyroManiac: Hey Maj. **

**BlackLavender: Sup? Haven't heard from you in days. **

**PyroManiac: Sorry. Lash had an accident- I've been at the hospital. **

**BlackLavender: Shit. What happened? **

**PyroManiac: Shattered his kneecap or something. **

**BlackLavender: Is he… okay? **

**PyroManiac: he had to have surgery, but now he's staying at my house. **

**BlackLavender: What? Why!? **

**PyroManiac: He couldn't go home. Even his sister is staying at friends. **

**BlackLavender: So… can I come over? **

**PyroManiac: Is it to taunt me in any way? Is it to see Lash in a different habitat? **

**BlackLavender: It's so see if Lash is okay and to see you… I guess. **

**PyroManiac: Okay then I suppose you can come over. :P Just don't be too mean. **

**BlackLavender: Cassie… when am I ever mean? ;) **

**PyroManiac: K, you can come over. **

**BlackLavender: Be there in five… **

_BlackLavender has just signed out._

I looked at the computer screen for a while, I don't know why. I guess I was tired… my eyes were beginning to have trouble focusing and my muscles felt sore. I guess that's just what happened when you get no sleep for two days straight.

I must have lost track of time… because next thing I remember hearing is the doorbell.

I walked downstairs and opened the door. Magenta was standing there with her usual blank expression. She carried a bag that smelled of high-fat junk food and I smiled to myself. Maj always knows what to do for me.

I let her in with a tired and welcoming sigh and she plopped herself down on the couch. "I bear movies and junk food," she stated simply and I laughed.

We got changed into our baggy pyjamas and sat down on the floor, way too close to the TV.

We were so immersed in watching _Almost Famous_ that we barely heard Lash coming down the carpeted stairs on his crutches.

He passed and noticed us- we looked at him in reply.

"Guinea Girl," He said to Maj in acknowledgment.

She nodded and said, "ElastaBoy." This was how their conversations started and sometimes remained. He would refer to her with his common nickname for her and she would sometimes come up with new ones. Tonight he was ElastaBoy.

"So," Magenta began, "How's the knee?"

He raised an eyebrow before answering, "In agonising and near-crippling pain."

"Glad to hear it's only _near_ crippling," Maj told him.

"Your concern touches me," he deadpanned, flopping down on the couch behind us.

I leaned back against the couch in-between Lash's legs and held up a bag of Cheetos for him, he reached in and grabbed out a handful, his eyes still glued to the screen.

The night was filled with silence apart from the sound of the movie playing, the rustling of junk-food packets and the occasional sarcastic remark at the Television.

Halfway through the movie Lash started to play with my hair, but I hardly notices. Magenta and I were using the couch as a back-rest, but my head was in between Lash's legs nonchalantly… or at least I thought so at the time.

After two movies and several bags of fattening foods we decided to call it a night. Magenta and I went into my room and Lash trudged his way up to the guest room.

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Magenta and I fell asleep whilst talking to each other. We talked about nothing in particular… good bits in the movie, school. Just random stuff.

"What's one thing you hate more than anything?" What? That's really random Maj… I would just kill you. But I won't…

"I dunno… you?"

"I asked you first."

"I guess I've always hated the colour pink. Its just really pisses me off."

She laughed quietly, "Why?"

"When I was little I was the blonde one. I never liked pink but people kept buying me pink clothes just 'cause the reckoned I liked it, why? Because I'm blonde."

She sighed from behind me and said, "I don't think there's anything I hate more than Guinea Pigs."

We fell asleep laughing about her hatred of guinea pigs. Things were looking up. For once.

Thank the sweet non-existent Lord!

**-----------------------------0----------------------------- **

**I know, I know. Short chapter but I'm tired. I wrote this in… ten minutes. If I can I might (MIGHT being the key word) change it, make it longer. But remember that MIGHT is BeeLanguage for "Ha! Not bloody likely!" **

**SlittleA **

**P.S. Haha--- I wrote 'shit' instead or 'short' at one point. Haha- the subconscious mind is a wonderful thing.**


	26. Is this some kind of GREY joke?

**Sorry for being really slow with my updates. I've started school again and it is taking all my imagination (and energy) away.**

**Damn school and its existence. **

**xoxoxoxoxox**

**SlittleA**

**---------------------------------------------0----------------------------------**

As I sat next to Layla on the bus I realised how shiny her hair was. No one's hair should be that shiny- it should be illegal.

I touched my hair- suddenly realising that I hadn't washed it. She also seemed so colourful… dressed in bright green, contrasting pale skin and red hair. I looked at myself in the Bus' rear-view mirror.

I saw light blonde hair, pale skin that left nothing to the imagination. I was wearing a grey T-shirt, faded pants (that gave the impression of a grey colour) and tired blue/grey eyes. I looked grey.

I was wearing Black and White arm warmers, striped. I had taken them from Lash's drawer. I felt that I needed them when he while he wasn't at school because of his injuries.

I had received some weird looks on the bus as they noticed my striped sleeves… they were thinking "Oh shit… that's Lash's thing. She's going to get it now." I didn't of course.

As I stepped off the bus a few wisps of my hair blew in the light breeze. I tucked the wisps behind my ear angrily and walked over to my usual spot on the wall.

"What happened to you?" asked a deep voice. I looked up from my book to face Warren.

"What are you implying?" I asked back, pretending to feel insulted.

"That you look like shit," he said simply, sitting next to me.

What the hell Warren?! Nice move!

"Way to flatter a girl, Warren… very suave," I deadpan, actually insulted this time.

I glared at him through thick eyeliner and Maj punched him in the arm.

He tenderly rubbed his arm though the red sleeve. How hard did she punch anyway?

------------------------------------

During Math the calm and eloquent voice of Principal Powers came through the speakers.

"Special Announcment…" she began.

Apparently, or so Powers says, someone called Coach Boomer (or Sonic Boom) "Gym Teacher Man."

That's why PE has been cancelled. I see Zack and Ethan High-Fiving each other out of the corner of my eye.

Calling him "Gym teacher Man" sown "Shocking Disrespect" to teachers.

I know I'm shocked.

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Pen Pals? Did I hear the English teacher correctly? Is this some kind of sick joke?

"This is not 'some kind of sick joke', Miss. Taylor," The teacher told me. Damn mind readers. I slumped in my seat.

"You will be starting a pen-pal project with people at Xaviers High," I looked up. Xaviers High? Why did that name ring a bell?

Oh yeah… MY DAD WANTED TO TRANSFER ME!

"These 'Xav' Kids are smart… so be smart in your letters. Tell them about yourselves and we will explore the wonders of The Envelope," he laughed.

I stare blankly at the page before I begin to write…

_Dear Xav Kid,_

_I am a fish. You wouldn't think so when you look at me. What with the clothes and the hair on top my head and all... but I am a fish._

_I don't know what kind of fish I am- maybe a cod._

_What's that? You don't believe me!? How rude. _

_I should slap you right here and now. _

_FINE! You've twisted my non-existent tail… I am no fish. _

_Bravo, my friend, bravo. _

_You are one smart cookie. _

_My teacher reckons you're smart. I guess he's right, because when I was failing History my dad wanted me to go to your school. He said it would make me smarter. Lucky for me he didn't because I love Sky High!_

_What is it that I love about Sky High, you ask? _

_Well, for one thing I love my friends. My best friend's Magenta- but we all call her Maj. _

_ I just remembered that we have super powers! How rude of me! _

_I am a PyroTechnic. Cool huh? What's your power? Maj can shape shift. Do you have any shape shifters at your school? I hope so… that would be cool. _

_I also have fangs. I hate fangs- they make me look like a dog. Maybe I should have begun the letter by saying "I am a dog"… hmm, makes you think. _

_I am very sorry Xav Kid, but my hand hurts because I never write- I am slave to the computer. I literally wrote more in this pointless letter than I have throughout the entire year. _

_Your Pointless Friend, _

_Cassandra Taylor _

_P.S. My friends call me Cassie _

_P.P.S Wouldn't it be cool if I really was a fish? Think of the irony! _

I stopped writing and closed it in an envelope.

Yep- today is grey.


	27. Sooooo Hot

**Sorry- this chapter is kind of pointless. I like it though. **

**xoxox **

**SLittleA **

"How was school today?" I looked up from the ground to see my mother staring intently at me.

"Alright- we've started this penpal thing with Xaviers High," I tell her, throwing my bag on the much.

Lash, who was reading a book, and my father, who was reading the newspaper, both scoffed in unison at what I said.

Lash was silently saying 'One word… pointless'.

My dad was saying 'Damn smart kids…'

"You have to write a letter too Lash. You _are_ in Mr. B's English class, right?" Lash raised his eyebrows at me over his books. He said nothing.

I punched him in the leg and he looked at me again.

"You're wearing my arm warmers," he told me without emotion.

"That's very observant of you Mr. Roberts," I replied. I turned on the TV.

---------

I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth when I heard chattering from downstairs…

MOM: I like him

DAD: He's a smart mouth!

MOM: He's cute.

DAD: He swears too much!

MOM: He's cute!

DAD: He was in prison!

MOM: He's cute!

DAD: He tried to destroy the school!

MOM: (_in a supposedly inaudible whisper)_ I think he might me Cassie's boyfriend.

DAD:

MOM: Oh- come on Arthur! Say something!

DAD:

MOM: Good night Arthur. _(Walks to bedroom)_

DAD:

Damn mom and her stupid mothering abilities! DAMN HER TO HELL!

--------------

_Dear Cassie, _

_I'm glad you're not a fish. Because that could have been slightly awkward. I've never known a fish before…so I guess it might've been cool also. _

_I am not as smart as your das and teacher think I am. I am also failing history. I don't know why though… _

_Oh right… It's because I spend every History lesson at the movies. I remember. _

_We have one shape shifter at our school. Her name is Christina. Every one is in love with her. I find her quite annoying. _

_Here are some things my teacher wanted me to tell you… _

_My name: Look at the bottom of the letter. _

_My age: 15 _

_My hobbies: I enjoy soccer, movies and TV. _

_My dislikes: I hate porridge. I swear to god if you like porridge I will never talk to you ever again. _

_My power is the amazing ability to melt things with my eyesight. Cool huh? I've never met a pyro before. Do you like your power? I like mine. _

_I'm sorry you hate fangs. I think they're cool. _

_I have one sister. We are twins. Do you have any brothers or sisters? _

_From a complete stranger, _

_Seb Gazer. _

_P.S. Seb is short for Sebastian. Call me that and I will melt your eyes out of their sockets. With fire. _

I read the letter up 'till there. The next thing written was in pink and was fancy cursive.

_P.P.S. This is Lori. I am Seb's sister. Do you know Warren Peace? He is soooooo hot. _

I rolled my eyes. At lunch I shoved the letter in Warren's face.

"What's this?" he asked me. I pointed silently to the pink writing.

"For fucks sake!" He whispered angrily. I giggled a bit as he shoved the letter back toward me.

"Warren and Lori, sitting in a tree," I crooned to him through a mouthful of inedible sludge.

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I had to take Lash a letter that day. I knew very well he hadn't written anything, but I was happy to see he had gotten a letter.

He was sitting on the couch where I had left him.

"Here you go," I said to him, passing him the letter.

He began to read it aloud and over-dramatically.

_"Dear Complete Stranger, _

_I hate you. Not because of who you are- because of what you are doing. Participating in this is manslaughter. _

_What if I get paired up with a criminal (I happen to know that there are criminals at your school)? What if I get paired up with a murderer? _

_Just so you know… I probably will not respond to any of your letters unless you just happen to be the most interesting person on the planet. I highly doubt that. _

_Fiona Meyers"_

"What the hell?" he asked himself afterwards.

"At least your penpal's twin sister isn't in love with Warren…"


	28. Rotting Carcasses

_Dear Seb, _

_Thanks for being okay about my non-fishness, it must've been a let down. I do have one brother. He's a senior at Sky High. He isn't a fish either. _

_His name is Calvin. That is all you need to know. _

_My group of friend include: _

_-Will Stronghold (Resident super Hero Wannabe. Super strong, can fly) _

_-Layla Williams (Stronghold's GF. Controls Plants) _

_-Zack Braun (Pretty funny. He can glow… don't ask) _

_-Ethan Mitchell (Slightly nerdy. He can melt. Whatever) _

_-Magenta Vitz (Numero UNO friend. She can shape shift. Into a guinea pig…) _

_-Cassie Taylor (Me) _

_and drum roll…tutututututututut. _

_-Warren Peace. That's right. You can tell your whiney ass (I am being dictated by Warren) twin sister that yes, I know Warren Peace. Can you please never, ever refer to him as 'sooooo hot' ever again? _

_Thank you. _

_Warren is actually a nice guy, and a close personal friend of mine. We are known as 'Hotheads one and two' as we are both pyros. We generally dominate the Sky High STC arena against Lash and Speed. _

_My **other**__friends… _

_-Lash (Best friend. Can stretch.) _

_-Speed (Lash's best guy friend. Super speed) _

_The super-duper club (friends mentioned earlier) do not approve of my friendship with the resident bullies (and ex-most wanted) at Sky High. _

_When they lecture me I tell them to go fuck themselves. Do you know someone called Fiona in your English class? She sent a letter to Lash about how Sky High has murderers. He is contemplating telling this 'Fiona' person about his criminal record. Should he? Is Fiona some sort of paranoid freak? Lash is currently living at my house… so I see him a lot._

_If you have any messages from your sister to Lash, Speed, Zack, Ethan or Will (or Warren…) then please tell her to refrain from sending them as they piss me off or send me into hysterical fits of laughter. I do not enjoy these hysterical fits of laughter as I read these letters during class and if I laugh I will get a nasty glare from the teacher. _

_Yours truly, _

_Cassie _

------------

I walked home that day with a small smile. Seb was nice and the reaction I had gotten from Warren about Lori was hysterical.

As I sauntered into my house I found Lash on the couch… once again. where I left him.

"Are you ever going to get your ass back to school? It sucks without you in history!" I tell him as I flop down next to him.

"Why? Cos now you have to actually _listen_ in class?" He smirked at me.

"Exactly!" I threw my hands up in the air in mock frustration.

He laughed at me and seemed to remember something.

"Here, look at this," he showed me a piece of paper.

_Dear Fiona Meyers, _

_You can go fuck yourself. My name is Lash- I am a senior at Sky High. _

_You can get your prejudice ass and go throw it in a blender. _

_But wait, there's more. I am the person who you REALLY didn't want to get as a pen pal. I am one of four students of Sky High who was thrown in prison last year. _

_Think of the irony. _

_I was reading the letter you so kindly sent me, to my friend, Cassie, and the entire time all that was going through my head was "Fu-u-u-uck ME!" _

_You seem like a pissy girl with no imagination. So what? People make mistakes; go to jail and sometimes they learn a valuable lesson. SOMETIMES. _

_I still beat people up, I still swear a lot. I sure as hell aint going to no prison any time soon though. _

_Please, for fucks sake, get over yourself. _

_Sincerely, _

_Lash J. Roberts _

I laughed. I laughed so hard I cried! I almost peed my pants! Oh god!

Through giggles I said to Lash, "You are **so** mean!"

"But that's why you love me," he said, kissing me.

We kept kissing until my mother opened the door. At the sound o the turning key we pulled apart and I walked quickly up to my room.

There are some tings you can only tell a penpal.

I really wished I could tell my PenPal about Lash being my boyfriend and all… but that was be breaking the rules. Plus I hadn't even ever MET Seb Gazer. He seemed nice enough but there is only so much you can learn from one letter.

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"Who's your pen pal?" I asked Maj the next day at lunch.

She read her letter out loud,

"_Dear Fucking Stranger, _

_Go die in a hole full of rotting carcasses, _

_Yours truly, _

_Lilac Johnson." _

"Sound like your kind of person," I tell Maj.

"Oh, I am so writing back!" She told me, poking at her sandwich. I watched as it jiggled…

I hate the food.

I hate the classes.

I hate the location.

But damn it… I love this school!

**------------------------------0----------------------------- **

**Sorry for making it sound like an ending of the whole story. IT ISN'T! **

**Lurve You, **

**SLittleA**


	29. Awkward

**Lots 'o' letters- sorry. Just my way of writing- I apologise if they cause you any discomfort.**

-----------------0--------------

Email—

**_TO: Cassie_**

**_FROM: Maj_**

**_SUBJECT: Best. Song. Ever_**

_OMFG Cass- just found the best fukin song ever. It's called Cassie and it's by a band called Flyleaf. _

_It is really good, plus it's called "Cassie". Haha _

_Chorus Lyrics: _

_Do you believe in god? _

_Written on a bullet _

_Say yes to pull the trigger _

_Do you believe in god? _

_Written on a bullet _

_And Cassie pulled the trigger _

_See you tomorrow— _

_Maj _

_P.S. Hope Lash is feeling better soon. It weird without him at school._

I closed my laptop and sighed. I also hoped Lash would be better soon.

---------

I wandered through the halls of Sky High the next day, still wearing Lash's arm warmers.

I noticed a familiar face and walked up to him.

"Hey Speed," I sat down next to him. He looked so lonely at school. Sure, he would come over and visit Lash and all but an entire school day without your best friend seems like forever. I know.

Speed and I had become good buddies since the whole Lash-incident.

But it was still a bit weird when Lash wasn't around, as we weren't that good at being around each other.

"Hey Cass," he answered, moving over a bit so I wasn't squashed right up next to him.

"Good news," I told him, "Lash is better and is coming to school tomorrow."

He lit up. "That is so cool."

I nodded.

**--------------- **

_Dear Cassie, _

_I'm glad your brother isn't a fish. If he were, there would have been some major issues in your house. _

_Speaking of issues in your house… Lash? Yeah- I know Fiona, and yes she is a paranoid freak. But we all love her for it. _

_I say that Lash should try scaring the crap out of her by telling her about his criminal record. _

_Are you serious? Was he actually in prison? And is his name really LASH? _

_Sorry about my sister, she is really annoying. I'll give her the message from you. _

_I told her about how Warren called her a whiney ass. She sighed. I think she's truly in love with him. _

_What about you? Are you in love with anyone? IS IT WARREN!??!?!? Cos that would be just awkward. _

_Lori says she's heard of Lash. Apparently he's "Really good looking". I told her to piss off. Okay- Lori's gone now._

_My best friends include:_

- _Lilac (Freezes time) _

- _Fiona (AKA Paranoid Freak. Mind reader. BTW- that's her language for she can 'guess what number between 1 and 10 you are thinking of') _

- _Matt (Acid Hands. He melts things by touching them) _

_And that's it. Unfortunately none of my best friends are wanted criminals… that would make them so cool. _

_I guess Lori is my 'best friend'… but she's my sister, so she doesn't count. _

_Apparently Lilac sent a really rude letter to her pen pal about dying in a hole of carcasses. _

_"Lil… that's just mean," Fiona told her. _

_"What? It's not like they're gonna write back," Lilac answered. _

_I hope her pen pal writes back. _

_Seb _

---------

It was lunch and Maj was sitting at our table writing something down furiously.

"Pen pal troubles?" Zack asked as he sat down next to her.

"Duh! This girl gives me a headache!"

I sat down next to her, "What's her name again?"

"Lilac."

Oh my fucking god. NO WAY! "That's my pen pals best friend! Apparently she can freeze time," I told her. I showed her my letter. She began to write very quickly.

_Dearest Lilac Johnson, _

_I know your name (see above). _

_I know your best friends names (Seb, Fiona, Matt) _

_I know what school you go to (Xaviers High). _

_I know your power (Freezing time.) _

_WHICH- might I add, is a crappy power. _

_Tell me to go die in a hole full of 'rotting carcasses' again- and I swear to god I will kill you. First I'll slowly poke out your eyes with a dessert fork. _

_Best wishes, _

_Magenta Vitz _

---------------------

_Seb, _

_You will never guess what happened! Maj (my best friend) is pen pals with Lilac. Which is good because Maj never goes down without a fight. Don't be surprised if you see Lilac crying in a corner one day at school holding a letter from Maj with very inventive threats on it. _

_BTW- Lash **was** in prison. And he told Fiona that. He also used words that you should never say to anyone over 30 who are in control of your TV privileges. Lash once swore at my father. I wasn't aloud the TV for a week because Lash swore at my dad. _

_And no, I am not in love with Warren. Don't you worry your pretty little head. _

_Tell Lori that he's ALL hers. Haha. _

_Are you in Luuurrrrvvveee? Is it Lilac?! Cos that would be just awkward_

_(See how I did that? Repeating what you said in your letter? I'm a bloody genius!)_

_My dad is English- so I say 'bloody' and 'bollocks' and 'sodding'. Just ignore me, _

**_THIS IS A SECRET AND IF YOU TELL ANYONE I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN!! _**

_I don't know why I'm telling you this… but… Lash is my boyfriend. DON'T TELL ANYONE! IT'S A SECRET, REMEMBER?! We agreed to keep it a secret because my friends aren't particularly fond of Lash. _

_I know perfectly well how good looking Lash is. _

_Cassie _

_P.S. Yes, his name is really Lash_


	30. Back To School

**Okay guys. I know, I know- "Took you long enough!" But- I _have_ had writers block, so cut me some slack. Thank you guys for reviewing my last chappie with ideas- it gave me some things to clear my head. Sorry if this chapter SUCKS but, you know… **

**--------------------------------------0-------------------------------------- **

_BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT…_ -slap-.

I hit my alarm clock with amazing precision and slight excitement. Lash was coming to school today. YAY!

I jumped off my bed and got dressed very quickly into my black jeans, red shirt, black and white arm warmers and motorcycle boots. I left my hair loose, as it was straight that day- only slightly frizzy. I actually prefer to have slight _FRIZ_ in my hair when it's straight- it's better than having that perfect shiny bundle of stuff that Layla has. Well- it suits her okay, but on me it looks weird.

With my toothbrush, along with some foamy toothpaste, still in my mouth- I ran into Lash's room.

He was laying face first into a cushion; only half covered by the blanket- his bare back exposed. –Swoon-… okay Cassie, get yourself together!

"Lash," I said firmly. He grunted in reply.

"LASH!" I pulled the curtains open. As the light streamed into him room he looked up from his cushion.

He groaned and then mocked a hiss as he buried himself back under the cushion.

"What time is it?" he managed from under the mass of material.

"Time to _get up_, you're back at school today, remember?" I told him.

He groaned and rolled over.

"Just be downstairs in half an hour," I said as I kissed him and jumped downstairs.

---LASH POV---

I groaned and rolled over. I heard nothing but felt Cassie kiss me and then she was downstairs.

Damn school…

I got out of bed ignoring the slight pain in my right knee. It was fine now… or as fine as it would get for a while. I realised that Cassie probably had my arm warmers, that means today would be the first day that I had gone to school without striped sleeves… ever. My mom had given me striped sleeves on my first day of Pre-K. Now, in my senior year, my girlfriend was wearing them.

I threw on a black T-shirt and my baggy jeans. My black converse shoes were worn and comfortable on my feet.

I walked downstairs sleepily, welcomed by Cassie's mother who was, as usual, in the kitchen.

"Hiya Lash," she said to me cheerily.

"Hey Mrs. T, what's cooking?" I always asked her this, as she was constantly cooking. She smiled at me, "Pancakes!"

I blinked… pancakes? What the fuck?

She places a small pile of chocolate chip pancakes on my plate. I blinked again.

Cassie came in behind me, "Good to see you're finally awake."

---CASSIE POV---

_Yum! Pancakes._

I snatched a pancake from Lash's plate and threw in onto mine, he glared at me and my mom made 'tut' noises.

"What?" I asked through a mouth full of pancake.

My dad came down the stairs in his suite and tie, he checked his watch.

"You guys need to be at the bus stop, or you'll be too late," he said to us without making eye contact.

"No problemo Mr. T," Lash said taking one last bite of his breakfast and heading for the door.

"Bye mom, bye dad," I called back to them as I reached the door.

The bus stopped… we got on. There was silence. I went to sit with Magenta; Lash went to go sit with Speed. All eyes were on us.

Warren looked up from his book. "What?" he asked the entire bus fiercely. They all looked away immediately, even Ron Wilson had to pry his eyes from us. The bus went into its usual chatter.

Freaky.

"Good to have you back, Strechzilla," Maj turned and told Lash.

He smiled in return and kept on talking with Speed. Zack turned from his seat in front of us to face Maj with a surprised look on his face.

"Dude, did you just say it's _good_ to have him back?" He asked.

"Please, Zack, refrain from giving me the 'Dunking Speech', okay?"

He was taken aback.

------------

"Mr. Roberts, I assume Miss Taylor gave you your letter?" The English teacher asked.

"Yes sir, and it was a ripping good read!" Lash said with fake enthusiasm, imitating the teacher's British accent. I giggled.

"Here is the reply, then," he said, not noticing the joke.

_Dear Lash, _

_Wow. I am so sorry; I didn't know who you were. To tell you the truth, I wanted to get a convicted criminal as a PenPal, it just seemed like it would be more fun. I had no idea that I would actually get__ one. I was very scared when I read your letter to tell you the truth. But I'm sure you're an okay guy. _

_You might actually be the most interesting person on the planet. _

_Sincerely, _

_Fiona _

"Well, fuck me," he said as his eyes scanned the page for a second time.

I read my letter.

_Cassie,_

_I am. _

_Seb _

What? What the fucking hell? He is what? I remembered what I wrote in my letter to him:

"_Are you in Luuurrrrvvveee? Is it Lilac?! Cos that would be just awkward_"

Wow. Wow… wow. He was in love with Lilac?

_Dear Seb, _

_You are in love with Lilac? Then tell her. _

_Cassie _

_ P.S. Wow… short letter._


	31. Doom and Gloom

-----------------------------------------0---------------------------------

Okay… bad news. My cousin Tori is coming. I don't _mind_ Tori- in fact, I love her heaps. But you see, Lash has the spare bedroom.

"Cassie, Tori is coming to stay with us for a few days," mom told me calmly.

_Oh my GOD! Yes! _I love Tori. She is the pinnacle of cool.

"Where's she gonna sleep?" My dad asked from behind his newspaper.

"The couch," I said.

"Well," My mom considered.

"Mom- you can't kick Lash out of his room. I'm sure he would rather be thrown into the desert to be eaten slowly by meerkats than sleep on the couch."

"Actually," Lash piped up from next to me, "that meerkat offer is very appealing."

I gave him a sideways look before he reassured me, "I don't mind sleeping on the couch."

"Tori doesn't mind either, besides you're already settled in," My mom assured him.

So now Tori is coming and I have to be UBER cool to impress her. She is just… one of those people who doesn't care but people try be cool to her anyway.

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The doorbell rang. I got up. I slowly pulled open the door and there she was.

"Yo! Cassie!"

Tori-

Hair: Dirty blonde, dreadlocks

Eyes: Green

Height: 'Round the same as me

Age: 16

Piercing/Tattoos: Nose, Tongue, Cool Swirl on Lower Back

Attire: Black Singlet, Black Fishnet top over it, Baggy Cargos, Flip-Flops

Tori was really smart and used HUGE words, she seemed stoned- even when sober and had a strange, shifting posture. She was a bit of a hippie too (Layla will like that). Her face (although not that 'Pretty') had very beautiful features to it.

When I was around 12 or 13… I wanted to be Tori. She was just so laid back all the time… or high. Either works.

I considered getting dreadlocks but my brother said, "Cass… you can't be serious. People pay HUNDREDS of dollars to get your hair, and you are considering _purposefully_ putting them into long KNOTS?"

I dropped the idea after that.

She hugged me and walked in, I carried her bags.

Lash was sitting on the couch. He turned to face the door and smiled slightly as Tori.

"Hey Tori, this is my friend, Lash. He is the one who is currently occupying the spare bedroom. Feel free to punch him at any time."

"Lash? Let me guess… stretcher?" Tori said in her _mellow voice…_

Lash frowned. "Uh… yeah."

"I read auras… yours is very blue," she told him. He looked at me for conformation and I shrugged.

----------------

The whole gang came over; Ethan, Maj, Zack, Layla, Will and Warren.

"Tori these are my friends."

She walked up to Magenta, "You're purple."

Magenta scoffed, "Uh… duh. Any idiot could see that."

"She means your aura, she reads auras, purple means frustrated," I told her. Maj raised her eyebrows.

"What's Warren?" Will asked, interested. Warren rolled his eyes as Tori walked up to him.

"You are conflicted between blue and purple… I like that colour," Tori told him… she jumped back for a second and then said, "Woah man… major negative vibe. You went totally red!"

Lash laughed from the doorway where he had just appeared at that moment. All eyes were on the sarcastic boy.

"What's so funny?" Layla asked him.

"Warren? _Red_? That means pissed right?"

"Yeah," Tori told him.

"Well, knowing Mister Doom'n'Gloom, he should be red _all_ the time," Lash laughed as he walked into the kitchen.

Warren just rolled his eyes.

"Back to normal… good," Tori looked him up and down appreciatively.

I knew that Warren had gone red when he had seen Lash in the doorway… but I didn't say anything. It's not _my_ fault they hate each other.

-----------------------------------------0--------------------------------

**Okay, I've been toying with this idea for a while. It seems kind of odd to me that Cassie is only a Freshman. Soooooooooo…. My idea is this. Skipping forward in time around a year- so that she is no longer a freshman. Tell me what you think about it. (Problem: Lash is no longer at school with her. Can it be solved? Only time will tell) **


	32. The Royal Pain in the Ass

Lexi02432… I love you. So much. But the whole sex thing? Nah- not going to happen. She's fifteen for Christ's sake! Maybe later- or your imagination can provide you.

**But the whole Penny/Gwen idea? Genius. Utter Genius… although it's probably been done before, many times.**

**---------------------------------**

School- for many it is a place of learning and discovery. For me it is a place to think about everything _but_ school. Sitting in Mad Science I realised how easy it would be to drop out- like Tori did. But she was smart enough to drop out. She got almost FULL MARKS on her G.E.D. Freak.

As Lash and I talked through Hero History I realised how weird it is that my boyfriend lives with me- and no one knows he's my boyfriend.

At lunch Lash was hardly speaking to me. He was looking around nervously… weird? I know.

"Oh god… no, no, no, no…" He muttered to himself as he and Speed looked off at the doorway.

Standing there was a tall, beautiful brunette followed by a gang of twelve identical girls. "Shit! It's Gwen and Penny!" Speed muttered, looking away.

It was… it was Gwen Grayson and Penny Davis, the villainess' of Sky High. Holy Crap! The 2… uh…. the 13 girls looks around for a moment before their eyes landed on Lash and Speed.

"SHIT!" Lash whispered angrily to himself. Gwen smiled and walked over to our table, followed by Penny who had now pulled herself together.

"Well if it isn't my favourite Dynamic Duo- Lash and Speed," Gwen greeted her 'Friends' cheerfully.

"Gwen," Speed said to her in blunt acknowledgement before muttering under his breath, "Bitch."

"Who's _this_?" Penny asked about me sceptically.

I looked at her for a moment before deciding, "Cassie."

Gwen smiled a fake smiled that didn't reach her eyes. Penny looked me up-and-down, unimpressed.

"Anyway," Penny said, "Lash, what's with the stripeless-ness?" I looked down and my face burned up… oh crap. I was wearing Lash's Striped Sleeves.

"Cassie's wearing 'em now," Lash answered coolly, even edging on coldly.

I realised, at that point, how much Penny reminded me of Sheila. Stuck up, not easily impressed, cold and the 'follower'.

But I had to admit, cool power.

Magenta came and sat next to me, for she was also welcome at Lash's table.

"Hey Cassie, did you do the History homework?"

I smiled at her, trying to ignore the glares I was receiving from Gwen (Or 'Sue') and Penny.

"You know I didn't," I told her and Lash nudged me playfully.

Gwen made a disgusted sound, "Since when do you hang out with the_ sidekicks_?"

Without me noticing, Warren had appeared behind Maj and I.

"You know what they say, you can take the Bitch from the Evil but you can't take the Evil from the Bitch," he told them coldly.

Maj and I followed Warren back to his table where we were greeted by Layla, Will, Zack and Ethan.

Gwen and Penny happily took our places at Lash's table. Lash shifted away from Penny unsubtlety, causing Penny to roll her eyes.

"God, what Bitches," Layla muttered under her breath.

"I _know_. Damn, they are so mean," Magenta agreed with her.

LASH POV 

Gwen looked back to where Magenta and Cassie had followed Warren.

"God, Warren is so hot. It's a shame he hangs out with… _those_ people," Gwen told Penny who simply nodded in agreement.

"I don't see why you had to be such a bitch to my friends, Gwen," I told her, poking at my food.

"Just _please_ tell me that the girl who had your sleeves wasn't a sidekick!" Gwen pleaded.

"Nope, Cassie's a pyro," Speed told Gwen.

"Oh…" Gwen thought for a moment, "So is she going out with Warren?"

I had to restrain myself from not choking on my food with laughter. Cassie? And Warren? Nah- never.

"No," Speed answered them, seeing me trying not to laugh.

I could hear Gwen mutter something like "Good" under her breath.

CASSIE POV 

Will looked over my shoulder and cringed. Yep, he had spotted Gwen Grayson… or Sue Tenny… or _whatever her name was_.

"Just ignore them," Layla told me and Will at the same time, for different reasons.

For me it was because she had stolen my spot at Lash's table and been a total bitch.

For Will it was because she had been his first girlfriend, turned his parents into babies and chucked him out the window of a flying building to his ultimate doom.

For a second a felt tightness in my stomach from feeling guilty about making a huge deal about my problems when my friends had been through heaps more before I was part of the group. I sighed and Magenta squeezed my hand and managed to give me a smile. We walked to class.

---------------------------------

I opened my locker and Lash was next to me. Internally I beamed because, yay, my boyfriend.

But then my mouth turned into a scowl as I saw Gwen standing next to him, and him ignoring her. The Gang came up behind me and Will looked down.

Gwen noticed and did a small laugh, "No need to be afraid of me Will. I am completely rehabilitated! No more evil."

"So the whole 'being a psycho bitch' thing is actually just _you_?" Maj said bitterly.

Gwen just laughed it off and looked for Lash for some reinforcement. He just looked at her blankly and then walked away, laughing and shaking his head. Gwen feigned a smile as she followed him to History, and I made way after them.

LASH POV 

Gwen came into my History class, saw me and smiled, trying to get the seat next to me.

I smiled as I saw Cassie walking through the door on autopilot toward her normal seat. As Gwen tried to sit down I said, "You can't sit here."

Cassie took the seat and Gwen scowled and stalked off to the back of the room, muttering. If my life had been a movie, the next thing you would see would be a montage with some catfight music in the background.

There would be Cassie rolling her eyes with anger as Gwen took her spot at our table _again_.

There would be Penny and Gwen making frustrated sounds when I talked to Magenta and Cassie.

Then there would be Cassie and I back at her place having a furious make-out session.

Then there would be Tori constantly telling me to 'Chill'.

Then the music would fade and we would see a huge fight between Gwen and I.

I was very worried someone might hear us, even in the empty school… The silence echoed through the halls and the darkness crept in through the gym. I wasn't scared, I was concerned. Gwen had a way of making traps with her "Technopowers". I gulped.

"It's either _them_ or _us_, Lash," Gwen said, looking at me expectedly.

"I think I made it pretty fucking obvious that I chose _them_, Gwen," I told her.

"You are so unbelievable! What about everything I did for you?"

I scoffed, "You mean getting me thrown in jail? Yeah Gwen, thanks a bundle for that one."

There was silence as we glared at each other, "I know, it's because of that _Girl_, isn't it?"

What? "What Girl?"

"That blonde one you keep making _googly-eyes_ at. Cassie."

I knew that I couldn't lie to her, "So what if it is?"

"Aww," she said in a baby voice, "Isn't dat cuuuute. Wash is in wuv!"

I simple rolled my eyes at her for using that voice.

"You are the only man I trust, Lash. Speed? He never had the will power. You, Lash… you were cold blooded. Come over to me. Penny and I will show you how good it feels to be evil again."

I shook my head, "I was never evil before, Gwen. It was a silly kids game that we ended up losing."

"Listen, Lash," She said kindly, "There are two options."

I nodded for her to continue.

"Option 1: You come over to my side," she told me, creeping into the shadows for emphasis, pulling a knife from her boot and fiddling with it so that she drew a drop of blood from the tip of her finger. She didn't flinch, "Or Option 2: You don't come over to my side… and I kill your pretty little girlfriend."


	33. Is it Easier Now?

I stood in front of Gwen, my mouth agape.

"You wouldn't," I told her… or maybe I was asking myself.

"Oh, you know very well that I would," Gwen told me, moving around me with that goddamn knife still in her hands.

I was silent- the darkness of the gym collapsed on me and I felt claustrophobic all of a sudden.

"You couldn't," I choked out, "Cassie is more powerful than you think." Gwen walked behind me and breathed in my ear; "You have twenty-four hours to decide."

And she was gone.

**CASSIE POV**

"Where the hell have you been?" I asked Lash as he walked through the door after midnight. He was paler than usual and his eyes looked sunken into his head, tired.

He looked at me, almost pleadingly and then looked away.

"Lash?" I asked him slowly, "What happened?"

He just shook his head and closed his eyes as if he was extremely fatigued and walked upstairs to his room. Lash left his door open, so I knew he wasn't asleep.

For someone who seemed very tired he stayed awake for a long time. I stood at his doorway and saw him looking at his ceiling, thinking.

**LASH POV**

I gave up and called Rose.

--Hello? —

"Rose?"

--Lash? Is that you? —

"Rose, I need some help."

--Why? What happened? —

"Gwen's back and…"

--And what? —

I couldn't manage to tell her. But I tried so hard to.

--Lash? Are you there? —

"She's going to kill Cassie."

There was a long silence.

--Why? —

"She just threatened me! Like, 'If you don't do this I'm going to kill her'!"

--You love her… don't you?—

"Yeah. I do."

I could hear Rose sigh on the other end of the phone.

--Get Cassie to a safe place. You know that Gwen means business. –

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"Cassie?" I could see that she was still awake. She got up instantly.

"Lash, are you alright?"

I shook my head at her tiredly and opened my mouth to try and explain. I couldn't.

"It's about Gwen… isn't it?" She asked me, sitting back down on her dark blue bed covers. I sighed.

"Let me guess. She knows about us."

I nodded and added, "But it's much worse than that."

She raised her eyebrows, "What's wrong?"

"She's…" I began. The words wouldn't come out, "she's going to… UGH!" I said, frustrated.

"Lash, calm down," Cassie told me, "What is Gwen going to do?"

"Kill you," I said softly. Cassie's eyes closed into two confused slits.

"What?"

"Gwen is going to kill you, Cassie. If I don't join her and Penny she _will_ kill you."

Cassie was quiet.

"I can't risk that, Cassie," I told her fiercely.

"So…" she began, "What are you going to do?"

I completely ignored Rose's suggestion and launched into my own plan, "I'll go with them."

"Lash. You can't," She said.

"It's the only way."

"When?"

I sighed and sat next to her on the bed, "She said I had twenty-four hours."

**CASSIE POV**

I couldn't believe it. Gwen would stoop so low as to threaten my life to get to Lash.

"That's a lot of time, Lash. We could figure something out," I tried.

"No!" He said, a little too loud, "There is _no_ time! I love you too much to risk it!"

My breath caught in my throat. That was it; I knew I could never let him go now… he had just said he loved me. He had never done that before.

"It would be so much easier if you didn't," I said a little bitterly, tears welling up in my eyes.

"What would be easier? Leaving?" He asked me.

"A whole lot easier," I replied softly. I looked him in the eye and for a moment it was perfect. Nothing was wrong or right. There was no 'if' or 'maybe'. And it seemed like we were going to kiss but he turned it away.

"Fine then," he told me, not making eye contact, "I don't love you."

"Is it easier now?" I asked him, a tear falling down my face.

He laughed through it and said, "You know it isn't."


	34. For The Last Time

It is so frustrating! I have a great way to end this story (With enough open-ness to suggest a possibly sequel hahaha) but it takes so long to get there! ARRRGG!

**SlittleA**

**--------------------------------------------------------0----------------------------------**

"Where is he?" Gwen asked me at school two days later.

"Where is _who_?" I asked back bitterly.

"Lash! You little pathetic freshman if you don't tell me where he is I swear to god I will cut open your stomach and feed it to my dog!"

I flinched at the thought of being cut open and I told her, "I haven't seen him in a while, actually."

Gwen raised an eyebrow, "He lives at your house. How could you not see him?"

It wasn't entirely true, I had seen him. When the twenty-four hour mark came he fled, telling me that he would come back when this all died down.

I stopped sending letters to Seb… he kept sending me letters, telling me about how his relationship with Lilac has fallen through and begging for a letter from me.

Gwen grabbed me by the collar and smiled, "Okay then. Option two."

I shut my eyes and she dragged me violently across the school. Penny, Penny, Penny and Penny were standing there. Something hard and large hit me in the back of the head… I blacked out.

((---------------------------------------))

When I woke up I was tied to a chair- not very original, I know.

Penny (x 8) and Gwen stood there with smug little smiles on their faces. I recognised some people from school who I never spoke to who had apparently joined forces with Penny and Gwen. The room was black. Not dark, but black, as if no light was needed. Despite this, Gwen and her little Posse were somehow immersed in shadows.

"Ah! The sleeping beauty arises!" Gwen said dramatically, seeing me open my eyes and hearing me groan.

"Now we wait," Penny said with a sigh before adding, "I hate waiting."

Gwen told a rather large person from my math class to walk up to me.

He punched me hard. I didn't feel the pain when he hit me; it took a while for my emotional numbness to stop defending me.

"You know where he is, don't you? You little bitch?!" Gwen asked me viciously.

I spat in her face, leaving a disgusting gob of spit on her cheek, "I told you I don't know anything, Grayson!"

She wiped my spit elegantly from her cheek before saying, "For some reason I don't believe you."

She nodded her head and Mr. Math Class punched me again.

In the room there were five people other than Gwen and Penny. Mr. Math Class, someone I had seen in the halls and three people who obviously weren't from Sky High.

The three people I didn't know were organised, and looked very physical. One was tall and muscular, a henchman of some sort. Another was lanky and strong, a bit out of proportion and rat-like. The last was seemingly normal, apart from his slicked back hair. He seemed around twenty-three at least and was wearing a suite. I glared at him as my eyes wandered the room.

Gwen looked at her watch, "Fuck! He should be here by now!"

"He wouldn't know I was gone, Gwen!" I told her, "He's long gone."

Gwen obviously didn't believe me but played along. She sighed tiredly and said, "Oh well. Then I have no use for you. Hulk and Rat can take you now."

She meant the two men with highly unoriginal names who seemed to be lead by their Normal Master.

Normal sighed and in a very proper accent he said, "You two can have your fun."

Penny, Gwen, Math Class, Hall and Normal left, leaving me tied to a chair with two deranged psychopaths hovering over me.

Well, if my luck hasn't just turned from Abso-Fucken-Fabulous to Supercalafragalisticexpialodocious?

"Oh great," I sighed, looking away from them.

Rat came up to me with a smile and stroked my cheek. Oh god- I realised. He was going to try something! I shuddered with disgust as his hand continued toward my mouth. As it reached my lip I opened my mouth slightly, inviting his finger inside.

As his finger slid inside my mouth I elongated my fangs and bit down hard on his hand.

"Fuck!" Rat swore as he pulled his bleeding hand from out of my mouth. Some of his blood was still in my mouth and it tasted metallic.

I shook my wrists and the flames burnt through the ropes. _What?_ I thought. _Gwen knew I was a pyro, she knew I would get away!_

Hulk came up to me, and I held a flaming hand out, stopping him in his tracks. As I pushed him back his leather jacket caught on fire. He growled at me and lunged toward me.

Oh Fuck 

He was pulled back by something and as the large Hulk was moved out of the way I could see him. He was very, very pissed. His matted brown hair fell in front of his eyes and he glared at Rat and Hulk.

"Lash…" I whispered.

Gwen came out of nowhere and was clapping, "Wow Lash. Took you longer than I expected but, hey, better late than never." Gwen turned to face me, Rat's blood still dripping from my mouth. "And you, well, you're just lucky to be alive, aren't you?"

I spat the blood on the ground and turned my flames off.

"I will come with you…" Lash told Gwen darkly, "If you promise not to hurt her."

Gwen nodded at Lash and Mr. Math Class picked me up.

"Put me down you son of a bitch!" I told him, kicking him in the groin.

Gwen shrieked with happiness, "I like this one Lash. She's feisty."

I gave her the finger and said, "I believe I can show _myself_ out."

Gwen smiled and waved a perfectly manicured hand toward the exit.

"By all means," she told me, still smiling that perfect smile.

Most eyes were ion me as I reluctantly walked towards the door. I turned to see Lash looking down, not even trying to look at me. As I opened the door I realised it was night, as there was no sun and only darkness.

How would he actually go through with it? How could he go with them? He said he loved me. I walked through the darkness to be stopped by a familiar face.

"Speed," I sighed with relief, "You scared me."

"You're hurt," he told me.

"No duh!" I laughed.

From behind him I could hear Magenta yelling, "Speed's found her!"

Warren, Ethan, Maj, Layla, Will and Zack came running from over a hill.

"We've been so worried about you!" Layla told me, hugging me tightly.

"So have I," I told her quietly, hugging her back.

As we walked home I stayed silent, Magenta holding my hand. I thought that would be the last time I would ever see Lash.

I was wrong.

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**CLIFFHANGER!!! _Please_ review. I haven't gotten any reviews for my last two MASSIVELY bad chapters. I accept flames! C'mon! Give me anything…**

**SlittleA**


	35. Drive

Two Years Later… 

My name is Cassandra Taylor. I am a senior at Sky High. I was skipped ahead because of my outstanding grades in Art and History (What are the odds, huh?), which is good because now I am my senior year with my best friend Magenta. You might think that Speed and I drifted apart because of what happened with L… my first boyfriend. But no, we are as thick as thieves and even though he has already graduated I see him all the time.

There have been a few guys since "You Know Who"… one of which was Seb Gazer. He was a really nice guy but he was really annoying sometimes, so we broke up.

My last relationship was with Crispy. Also known as Christopher P. Smith. Get it? Chris P? Eventually everyone called him Crispy. We broke up because his band got their break and went touring around America, way too much strain on a relationship.

I haven't changed much in two years. I'm taller, have longer hair, and I'm more (cough) 'developed', but apart from that I'm pretty much the same. I like the same music, I like the same guys and I have the same friends. What I really wasn't expecting was this…

"Shit!" I swore as my car sputtered to a halt. I got out and kicked it, my blonde hair falling in my face. The kicking only made it sputter more. I was, as cliché as this sounds, in the middle of nowhere. A dirt road with no civilisation in sight. The perfect time for my Wreck of a Car to break down. I sat inside my car to protect myself from the dry, blistering heat. I was tired, very, very tired.

I got out and kicked my car once more.

I gave up and began trudging along the road with a three bottles of water, a wallet and no food in my bag.

I didn't know what this would accomplish but I was searching for a phone, a payphone that they _should_ have on the side of a desert highway!

After about an hour I had gone through half a bottle of water and thought I was hearing things. A car. There was a car coming down the road.

I turned and what I saw frightened me. It was a black car- I don't know what kind- with tinted windows. I couldn't see inside it.

I stared into the black window to where the driver should be sitting and gave them my most pleading look.

The car stopped.

"Get in," he demanded. The car smelt of Jack Daniels and cigarettes. But worse was who was driving the car.

"I'll wait for the next car, thanks," I said quietly, walking away from him. The old black car followed me, the window rolled down.

"I said, 'Get in' Cassie," Lash demanded again, "Who knows when another car will come?"

I stopped and turned around to face him. "Fine," I muttered, stepping into his car.

I looked out the window as we drove, unable to look him in the eye.

He looked older; he must've been around twenty, whilst I was seventeen. He stared out through the windscreen, onto the road.

"Cassie," he began. But he stopped. There was such a silence that I began to think I had imagined him saying my name, and he had never spoken at all.

After around half an hour of driving in silence he spoke again, "So… how's life?"

"Well," I began with a sigh, "I got skipped ahead last year. I'm a senior now."

"Oh?" he sounded genuinely surprised.

"Yeah," I said, "You?"

"Nothing much… just been travelling a lot," he told me. I knew he didn't want to talk about Gwen.

"My car broke down, lousy piece of shit," I told him with a laugh.

"Well," he laughed as well, "You look great."

I was taken aback, but I kept my cool, "You should see me when I haven't been walking for an hour through the desert."

He laughed again. I ran a hand through my hair to brush it out of my face.

"What did you get skipped forward for?" He asked. I paused before telling him.

"History, turns out I have a knack for it."

There was another uncomfortable silence before I asked him, "Have you seen Speed?" He shook his head.

"How is everyone?" He asked me.

"Well after Speed graduated he became a Cop. Maj can now morph into any mammal and everyone else is pretty much the same," I said.

"Speed? A Cop? Wow…" He said, shaking his head.

There was another silence. I still didn't look at him. I stared at my black fingernails.

"I've got the munchies," he announced. He accelerated and pretty soon we were at a diner.

We sat and he ate slowly. I didn't touch my food… I never eat that much.

"So," he began awkwardly, "Are you seeing anyone?"

"Well, I was with someone for a while but we split up. Career issues," I told him without mentioning Crispy's name, "You?"

"Same old-same old," he told me, meaning he had been with many girls but nothing serious.

"So Guinea Girl finally upped her power, huh?" He asked me.

"Yeah- you should've seen the look on Boomer's face," I laughed, recalling the memory.

We ate in silence… or rather, he ate and I peered out the window. Yes! A payphone!

"Hey… uh… I'm gonna go outside for a bit," I told him. I still hadn't said his name out loud.

I put some change into the payphone and dialled Magenta's number.

--Hello?—

"Maj, hey, it's me."

--Oh, hey Cass—

"Can you come pick me up?"

--Where are you?—

"I'm at that Denny's just outside of town."

--Sure. Be there in half an hour.—

I hung up. Magenta had gotten used to picking me up at weird places, as I was always going Road Tripping by my self over the weekends and almost every time my car would crash or break down and she would come to pick up the pieces.

I walked back inside and told Lash, "Maj is picking me up from here."

"I could give you a lift," he told me hopefully.

"Listen, Lash," I stumbled over his name, "It's been great catching up and everything but I would really rather be going home with Magenta."

He nodded knowingly, "No problem. I get it."

Lash payed and called, "See you around Hot Head!" from his car. He waved and drove off toward Maxville.

I sat and waited for Maj to come and pick me up… and I cried. I cried because Lash was back and I was so not over him.

Magenta was true to her word and arrived in 30 minutes.

"Cass, what's wrong?" She asked, seeing my tear stained face.  
"I'll tell you about it while we drive," I smiled through tears.

**---------------------------------------------0-----------------------------------**

**But WAIT! There's more! _I Can't Tell_ is not over yet!**

**Love Always,**

**SlittleA**


	36. Window Shopping and Coffee

**Howdy all. I have changed this chapter so that it doesn't say 'Dean'. My bad. I'm flip-flopping between two stories and I got my characters muddled. And guess what? I got flamed. That's right, flamed. For the first time, I might add. And you know what? I'm fine about it. I thought I would go all agro and shit but I was actually kind of pleased that someone had the guts to tell me off. Thanks writestyle for that valuable piece of experience. Please note that I am not (REAPEAT: NOT) going to change my whole story just because one person doesn't like it any more. If, by some freaky chance, all of you turn on me, I may have to backtrack.**

**Love Always,**

**SlittleA**

**--------------------------------------0------------------------------**

**LASH POV**

I couldn't believe it. When I saw girl walking in the middle of nowhere I had no idea it would be Cassie. But as she turned there was no mistaking her face, even though it seemed older. I felt myself looking her over, glancing at her long, shapely legs and curves that had become more obvious in the past two years.

I could see the shock in her face as I rolled down the window and told her to get in, I didn't mean to sound so harsh.

When I finally convinced her to get inside my rank smelling car the comfort we used to feel when we sat next to each other was gone and awkwardness took over. She told me very straightforward things about school and Speed. I barely told her anything. But I had good reason. After I had gone with Gwen, I stayed with them for a while. Just long enough to make them believe I couldn't turn back.

But I did.

I turned against them and escaped; trying to return to Maxville, return to Rose, return to… her.

But she wasn't mine anymore; she hadn't been mine for a long time. I knew very well that she was still gorgeous and she probably had had many boyfriends or at least one steady one. I was very relieved to hear that she was currently single, even if I knew I had no chance of getting her back. The thought of anyone else touching her made me sick to my stomach.

She told me Magenta was picking her up. I understood because a trip all the way to Maxville with your ex isn't that pleasant even though I wanted it to happen.

And so now I drove back to Maxville, hoping that maybe I would see her around town.

--Maxville Police Station, how can I help you?—

"I'm looking for a police officer of yours."

--In what department?—

"Super."

--May I ask for verification?—

"I was at Sky High with him."

--Hold please.—

……

--Who is it you are looking for?—

"Speed Jackson."

--I'll give you his number."

((--------------------------------------------------))

**CASSIE POV**

I wiped my face and Maj looked at me expectantly. I didn't say anything.

"How did you get all the way to Denny's?" She asked me.

"I got a lift… with," I began, "Oh god…"

"With who?" She asked me.

"Lash."

She slammed on the brakes and my whole body was thrown forward. The squealing was unbearable.

"LASH!!" She looked at me, eyes like saucers.

I nodded. I couldn't tell her expression. It was pained, happy, sad, shocked, cheerful and worried.

She continued driving slowly, letting out a whistle. "Wow."

"Yeah," I laughed.

"How is he?"

"Fine I guess… we didn't talk much."

"Where was he going?"

"Well," I said, "He's actually heading for Maxville."

My voice shook with worry.

"Maxville's a big city," Maj assured me, "I bet you won't even see him."

((---------------------------------------------------))

I was in town, looking at dresses through a window. I couldn't afford any of them, but it was nice to pretend. One was long and black, fading into red at its end. I sighed as I tilted my head, trying to picture myself inside it.

"Nice dress," someone from behind me said. I jumped and turned to face him.

"Yeah," I said to him awkwardly, "I can't afford it though."

"Too bad," Lash said, looking at it through the window.

I looked at my feet, "I've got to go."

He grabbed my arm and said, "What's the rush? Let's get a drink or something."

In Lash language 'Let's get a drink' means 'I'll buy you a drink even though I know you're underage'.

We went to a bar and I used my fake ID. That's right- I have a fake ID. We got some beers and sat down.

Before I knew what was happening, my beer was suddenly full again. And again. And again.

As night fell I was a little bit tipsy- to say the least.

I had to go home- I even told Lash that. He was pretty tipsy too but he drove me home.

At the door he asked, "Are you gonna make me coffee then?"

"Shhh," I said, "Parents on the premises. Be quiet and go up to my room."

I did make Lash a coffee, but the whole time I was thinking, 'Cass! What the hell is wrong with you! This is Lash we're talking about. And he's up _in your room_. Tell him to go home!'

I toed open the door of my room, set the mugs down on my dressing table, and tried not to look at Lash lounging on my bed like he had every right to be there. At least he had taken his boots off for once. Then I noticed that he had my old, battered rag doll in his hands.

"I don't believe I've been introduced to this lovely little lady," he grinned drunkenly.

"Lash, don't," I growled, "Put her, I mean it, down."

Lash held Miss Princess Mopsyhead (to give her full name) in front of him and made her dance. "Not 'til you tell me her name."

I muttered something.

"I didn't quite catch that Cass, something about a princess…"

"Princess Mopsy," I said really quickly, leaving out the 'Miss' and the 'Head' and then wishing I'd said her name was Anne or Sue.

"Hello Princess Mopsy," Lash cooed, and then realised that I was not seeing one shred of funny in the situation. "Okay, putting Her Royal Highness down now."

God- he was back to being all cute and dorkish again and making my skin sing in the most delicious way.

_Cassie! Pull yourself together!_

I reached over and handed him his coffee before leaning against my dressing table. Lash took a sip, watching me all the time from heavy lidded eyes. "What are you plotting in that head of yours?" he wanted to know.

I shrugged and didn't say anything. Couldn't think of anything to say.

"C'mon Cass, don't go weird on me," Lash crooned. Then he put the mug down, sat up and was off the bed. Before I could process why that low, husky pitch to his voice made me dig my black fingernails into my palms so hard that I'd still have little half-moon marks embedded there the next day he stalked towards me, all predatory and sleek.

He took another step towards me so that there was such a tiny gap between us that I could feel the heat of his body stirring up all my molecules and making me feel hot and relaxed. My hair was in two pigtails, and Lash took out the elastics and started running his fingers through my hair and loosening my plaits. He twisted and stroked my hair and I leant back against the dressing table and let him.

I was just so… I don't know… willing to let Lash be there. It didn't matter what I kept telling myself.

When my hair was loose, Lash gathered up to great big handfuls of my white blonde curls and gently tugged me closer.

"Don't," I half moaned, but I was already letting him. I barely knew what was happening until his tongue was skittering across the roof of my mouth and I was accepting it. I dimly registered the sweep of his hands under my shirt and on my skin. But it wasn't until I felt the bed underneath me that I realised that Lash had manoeuvred me across the room and was laying on top of me.

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**OOOHHH! Next chapter is going to be interesting, huh? R&R.**

**SlittleA**


	37. Surprise, Surprise

"Lash," I managed, "What are we doing?" Lash and I pulled apart and he seemed stunned by the realisation of what was going on.

"Oh," was all he could say.

"I think you should leave," I sat up. Before I could say anything else he was gone and I was totally freaked out.

Okay Cassie, process this. He comes back after two years, tries to get it on with you and it's freaking you out. Calm down.

I sipped the remaining part of my coffee and then went to sleep. Crap.

((-----------------------))

The next day Magenta and I got on the bus together. My blonde hair was straight and my thick fringe was growing a tad too long. My eyes looked heavy and hardened as I sat down. Maj gave me a look. The look that can make me tell her anything.

"What happened?" She prodded.

"I bumped into… _You Know Who_. AGAIN!" I said, frustrated.

"And?" she pushed.

"Let's just say actions of the pelvic variety nearly ensued," I said softly. Maj's mouth was agape.

"Ho-ly shit," she said in a whisper.

"I know! What is wrong with me, Maj?"

After the whole 'Gwen' fiasco I had told everyone about how Lash and I were going out. Warren wasn't surprised. Ethan nearly threw up. Zack said nothing and Layla was all 'Why didn't you tell me?' Whatever. Will was by far the most disgusted, ranting on to me about how this was bound to happen and how it would never last. Blah-di-blah-blahblahblah!

"There's nothing wrong with you," Maj assured me, "But nothing… happened, right?"

"God no!" I assured her, "There was some kissing involved but nothing beyond that."

"Thank god!" Maj exclaimed.

There was a short silence while we both contemplated what had just happened. The rain beat down on the windows of the bus as we took off, but as we reached higher, above the clouds, the rain stopped and we were engulfed in a heavy grey.

"Homecoming is coming up," Maj mentioned.

"And?" I asked sceptically.

"You wanna go dress shopping today after school?"

I smiled remembering the dress I had seen in the store. My face fell, "You know I can't afford anything good."

"Please at least come with me. I need to get a second opinion and Layla will just grind on about how I wear non-organic material."

"Fine," I sighed.

((-----------------------------))

"Remember class, your creative writing assignments are due in two weeks, so get writing!" called Mrs. Siegel over the bell. English is my favourite subject, basically the only one I try hard in. As Maj and I walked out of out final class for the day, we automatically headed to my locker, then to hers.

When we reached the bus Ron let us on and we walked to the back. Layla and Will were sitting together. Ethan and Zack were sitting together. Warren was (as usual) on his own) and Maj and I got an empty seat near him.

"You going to homecoming, Hot Head?" I asked Warren.

"I never go to homecoming. You know that, Cass," he said.

"Just wondering, geesh," I said, rolling my eyes. I knew perfectly well that the only dance he had ever been to was when Royal Pain (Gwen) had turned everyone into babies. It was also the night he first met Misty Frost- not a happy memory to return to.

"How about you Ethan? Got a date?" Maj asked Ethan. We asked this every year because we knew that Ethan and Warren were the only ones without girlfriends.

"I have, actually," Ethan said. I smiled, "Good for you."

_Crap. I just realised something! _

**_What?_**

_We are the only ones without a date! _

**_Shit. _**

_I know! This has never happened before. Last year we had Crispy… _

**_And before that we had Seb. This is our first year without a date. _**

_Damn it to hell! _

"Maj," I whispered fiercely to my best friend.

"What?" She replied.

"I don't have a date!"

"No sweat, Cassie. Someone will ask you out."

((---------------------------))

Dress hunting was fantastic. I was sad to see the dress in the window was gone, but you can't lose what you never had.

Maj found this gorgeous purple (duh) and black dress with fishnet sleeves. It had a corset-like torso that hugged her curves and she even found shoes that made her legs look incredible.

"You look gorgeous Maj," I exclaimed as she came out of the dressing room.

She spun for me and then gave me a blank look, "Let's pay."

That was just like Maj, being all blank and sarcastic. After we paid for the dress I went home.

"Honey," my mom called from the kitchen, "you have a package."

I gave my mom a kiss on the cheek and looked at the package. It had no return address and was wrapped in simple brown paper.

I unwrapped it slowly to reveal a white box.

On the box was a plain white card that, when I opened it, said;

_Dear Cassie, _

_Sorry about before. I'm a regular prick. _

_Hope this makes you forgive me, at least for a while. _

_-Lash _

I smiled a bit to myself, but then I became worried. Lash had sent me a package. But then again, he had said he was a prick- very kind of him to admit.

I lifted the top of the box off and…

_Holy shit! _

It was the dress that I knew I couldn't afford. It was long and black, fading into red at its end. It was the exact dress that Lash had seen me looking at the day before. I ran upstairs to try it on.

((----------------))

It fit perfectly, hugging me in all the right places. It wasn't as long as I thought it was but it was long enough. It had off-shoulder spaghetti straps and a low back. It was cut lower at the front than I expected too, but not in a bad way.

Lash had gotten me the perfect dress, all to apologise for nearly bumping uglies with me.

I picked up the phone and called Magenta.

--"Hello?"—

"Maj, it's Cassie

--"Hey Cass. What's up?"—

"I have a dress for homecoming."

--"How?"—

"There was a package waiting for me when I got home, it was from Lash. He was apologising for last night. And the dress is so pretty!"

--"Wait. Lash sent you a dress? Did he even know you needed one?"—

"He kind of saw me gazing longingly at it before. And it looks great. It's black so I can wear whatever shoes I want with it."

--"Cool. I'm coming over to see it."—

((----------------------------))

When Magenta arrived she let out a low wolf-whistle. "You look great, Cassie. No wonder Lash got it for you. Very sexy," she raised an eyebrow.

"I bet he didn't even know what it was. He just saw that I wanted it and got it for me," I defended.

"Suuuuuuuuure," Magenta rolled her eyes.

Lash wouldn't have gotten me the dress just because it looks nice on me, would he? In any case, I had the dress, the shoes and now all I needed was a date.

And that's going to be easy! (note the sarcasm)

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**Hey All! Sorry for being so long with Chapter 39. I'm just getting a feeling for this story again. **

**R AND R **

**Love Always, **

**SlittleA **


	38. Forgiven and Forgotten

The topic for our creative writing is "Identity".

I sat at my desk thinking about it. It was a very vague topic that I could throw in every direction.

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_It is early and I board the train. I am wearing my conservative, restricting and disgustingly colored school uniform. My eyes search the train subconsciously. There are men in suites, talking on phones with laptops. There are women who stare out the window in a vain attempt to not pay attention to anyone else on the train. There are children, like myself, on the way to school._

_Then there is her._

_She seems so tired, but aware. Her eyes look old, but wise. Not many know her though many have made her acquaintance. She would never say where she came from. She had no interest in her past. I have heard her say on more that one occasion, "Yesterday doesn't matter if it's gone."_

_I suppose she was right, but I noticed she always sits backwards on the train. I like to think this is when she looks back on her past, if only for a brief amount of time. Her name was Ruby Tuesday, and she never seemed to be one person._

_With every new day she would find a way to reinvent herself, find someone new to be. Right now she seemed content and angelic. Her red hair and sparkling green eyes contrasted against her pale skin that seemed tired and worn._

_Her white dress went down to her bare feet, as she carried a pair of black slippers in hand. _

I stopped. This wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. As I saved it as "Ruby Tuesday- Draft One" I drifted off into a hard slumber, my eyes burning with the need for sleep. For once I wished to be Ruby Tuesday, I wished to be someone different because my life was so fucked up.

((------------------------))

School was easier the next day. Warren was asked to Homecoming by Misty Frost. It was hysterical.

"So Warren," The blonde crooned, "Wanna go with me to Homecoming?"

Warren just turned the page of his book and said clear as day, "No."

Misty sulked and said, "Why?!"

Warren said nothing and she stormed off.

Classic.

Anyway, that's not what was really good. Good news is that I've got a date for homecoming. His name is Mark and his power is acid spit. I have to admit I was slightly freaked out when I first saw him spit acid- but he asked me out and I am not one to say 'no'.

Mark is pretty cool so, hey… I'm not disappointed.

No.

Why would I be disappointed? It's not like I wanted to go with anyone else. Okay, I'll be straight with you.

I was half-hoping Lash would ask.

I know, dumb right? But hello… LASH! And he got me the super cool dress, it seemed like asking me would be normal, you know?

I'm beginning to wonder whether Lash still sees me like that. I mean, we did almost have SEX for crying out loud. But then again, we were drunk. And it has been two years since I have kissed him and not been under the influence. Maybe he really did regret it.

Maybe it was a one off thing.

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At lunch I told Maj that I was going with Mark. She was going with Zack, Ethan was going with this nice girl named Patricia, Layla and Will were going together and Warren was not going. I had thought about asking Warren to homecoming… but that would just be weird, like asking my brother to homecoming.

No matter how attractive that brother may be.

Speaking of my brother, he's moved out (finally) so I have a room that we've made fireproof. It rocks because I can just throw fireballs around when I'm pissed off. Warren comes over to do it too, just to blow off steam.

He has a lot of steam for blowing off, let me tell you.

"That's great," Maj had exclaimed, "Mark is really nice."

"Yeah," I agreed softly.

Apparently he's had a thing for me for ages… or at least he thinks I'm relatively good looking. Both are pluses.

((-------------------------------------------))

For the past three days weird things have been going on. After Mark asked me to homecoming I kind of (as awful as this sounds) forgot about him. And then I was finding letters in my locker!

_Dear Cassie,_

_Thank you so much._

_-Mark_

And I'm thinking, 'This kid needs a hobby.' So after about three letters in three days I got one on plain white card that said;

_Forgive me yet?_

_Just write 'Yes' or 'No' and put the note back._

Yep. Lash.

And… freaky… he was getting into my locker.

I pulled out a pen and wrote;

_Sure I forgive you. Now would you mind telling me how you are planning to get into my locker?_

I put it back in its place and left the school grounds.

**READ AND REVIEW, PEOPLE! READ AND REVIEW!**


	39. The Fire Room

**Hey all. It feels great to be updating again, thanks to all those people who didn't abandon me. Hell- I've even gotten a few new fans.**

**TTFN**

**SlittleA**

**---------------------------------------------0-----------------------------------**

"What's wrong?"

I looked up to see Warren looking over my shoulder. We were on the bus back from school and I must've been giving off a bad vibe or something because Warren was all over my case.

"Nothing," I lied.

"You know I'm not going to leave you alone until you tell me what's up," Warren said, determined.

"You wanna come over to my fire room?" I asked him, "It will be easier to explain there."

I just wanted to be able to use my power in an aggressive way while telling Warren my problems… like always. It had always been like that. I would rant on and on about my problems and Warren would sit there, sometimes giving advice, other times only giving his presence to help me out.

------Flashback--------

"_And that prick gave me a 'C'!" I screamed, throwing another fireball at the wall._

"_I pour my soul into that story and I get a 'C'!" I continue, throwing another barrage of fire balls at the scorched-black wall._

"_That is pretty low," Warren agreed, playing with small flames at his finger tips whilst sitting on a table._

"_I wrote it well, I used big words and everything! It was personal, too. Last time I ever do any personal stories…" I mutter, sitting down next to Warren._

"_What did she say about it?" Warren asked, simply to keep me going._

"_She wrote 'a little far fetched'. Can you believe it? 'Far Fetched'. It's a goddamn story! They're not meant to be boring and predictable!" I sighed._

"_What did you write about?" Warren queried (one word that I used in that story)._

"_Super bitches and backstabbing boyfriends," I say under my breath._

"_Lash didn't stab you in the back, Cass," Warren reminded me. I stood up to face him._

"_Then why do I feel like he's let me down?!"_

"_Because you miss him. It's normal, you'll get over it," Warren said slowly._

"_I guess you're right," I began, then I added in a lighter tone, "You know I broke up with Seb."_

_Warren scoffed, "About time. That little idiot was getting on my last nerve."_

"_Exactly. Me too… I would've barbequed the little dick unless we had gone our separate ways," I smiled._

_We sat in a comfortable silence for a while. I gazed, transfixed on the small swirls of smoke and steam coming off from the walls._

"_Thanks for listening, Hot Head," I said softly._

"_Any time, Junior," Warren ruffled my hair and left the room, leaving me to think._

------END FLASHBACK------

"So," Warren began, sitting on his usual spot. I swear that place probably even smells like leather because he sits there so much, "What's the problem."

"A certain someone who I was hoping to never see again… ever… is in town," I told him.

"And this person is…" Warren though, studying my face as if it would hold clues to who I was talking about.

"Here's a clue. He is tall, skinny, and his name begins with 'L'. Oh yeah, and he's part rubber band!" I say, frustrated.

"Lash," Warren said softly, "wow."

"Yeah. So he just turns up in the middle of no where, and was offering me a lift through a desert highway. So I'm not going to say no, right? Right! So he just takes me to Denny's and Maj gets me from there, right? And then Maj is all 'You won't even see him!' and the next day I see him! Just in town! So we get a drink, to catch up and all that, and then we go back to my place. Please be aware that right now I was pretty wasted. So anyway one thing leads to another and BAM!" I clap my hands for emphasis, "We nearly get pelvic!"

Warren's expression hadn't changed throughout my entire rant.

"So then," I continue, causing Warren to take a small breath, "He gets me this really nice dress, asking for me to forgive him. So I take the dress and Maj said he got a really nice dress just 'cos it looks sexy on me and I'm like 'He wouldn't!'. But then I found a note in my locker that, thank the sweet non existent lord, wasn't from Mark. It was from Lash. It was asking me, 'Do you forgive me yet?'. Now if that doesn't sound freaky enough, he not only has been AT SKY HIGH, but he can get into my locker!"

I finish, taking huge breaths to calm myself down. Warren was silent.

"Wow," he breathed again.

"Can you say anything other than 'Wow'?" I ask him, sulking on the seat next to him. I could always trust Warren to be brutally honest.

"He didn't get you the dress because it looks good on you," he determined.

I sighed a breath of relief, "You don't think so?"

"No. He actually got it to apologise. For what, I'm not sure," Warren threw a few sparks at my ceiling.

"What else would he be apologising for?" I ask, genuinely curious.

"Maybe it was for leaving in the first place," Warren sighed.

Was it? I mean, I didn't think that was something he would apologise for. And if he got the dress to apologise for leaving, does that mean he didn't think he needed to apologise for the... 'adult situation' we were almost put in?

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Long after Warren had left I sat in my room.

The phone rang…

"Hello?"

--"Hey Cassie. It's Speed."—

"Hey Speed," I said, relieved that I could hear a friendly voice.

--"Are you alright?"—

"Yeah. Fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

--"Uh… because of Lash?"—

"Fine… just fine," I said in a high pitched voice, suggesting that I wasn't fine at all.

--"I just wanted to know how you were, with the Lash thing…"—

"Truth is, Speed… I'm a bit freaked out. You?"

--"Same for me, Cass."—

Man… this is so fucked up. I just want to push a button and make everything stop in its tracks. Give me time for a breather, please? Whoever you are, God… why did you have to make this hard?


	40. Holy Cheese!

I am freaking out. Completely.

Maj is going to Homecoming early 'cos her band is playing, and Crispy is coming to help out. You'd think that my ex-boyfriend being at Homecoming would what is freaking me out, but it isn't.

HOW CAN YOU EXPECT ME TO BE WORRYING ABOUT CRISPY WHEN **LASH** IS IN TOWN!?

Okay, I'm calm again. But, you know…

Anyway, Layla is at my house getting ready for homecoming.

---

Layla looked amazing, her red hair curling down to her back and her eyes glistening. Her dress was very beautiful, and reached the floor. I looked at myself in the mirror. Wow.

I looked…

Amazing.

My blonde hair reached my waist and was dead straight. My fringe was long and almost covered my eyebrows completely. My eyes were outlined thickly by black eyeliner and my lips were brushed with red.

The dress Lash got me reached just above the floor, and I was wearing a pair of black high heels that strapped up my leg. It was something I never thought I could look like.

"You look great, Cass," Layla told me.

"Thanks," I said absent mindedly. I couldn't stop thinking about Lash. Which I guess is a really selfish thing to be doing when my date was downstairs. Martin… or Marcus… or whatever his name was.

Mark. Damn, I should remember his name.

I ran my hand through my hair one last time to give it a 'I didn't really try, I just look good without effort,' messy look.

It worked.

Layla and I strolled down stairs and the tradition began. Mark stool drooling, Will stood gaping and my parents took pictures while I rolled my eyes.

Then it was time to party.

We reached the bus, and it took us up to Sky High.

"You look… really nice, Cassie," Mark told me for the third time.

"Thanks," I replied… for the third time.

Blindly my eyes scanned the room. It was dark, and I could barely see anything. I made out Magenta and Crispy setting up on stage.

"Maj!" I called, waving. She waved back and told something to Crispy. Crispy looked at me and waved too.

I walked up to them, my heels making light clicking noises on the gym floor.

"Hey Crispy, hey Maj," I said, smiling. Theyt greeted me and Maj said, "I need to go on soon."

"Hey everyone," Maj's monotone was heard through the gym, "let's get started. Here's some Lunachicks to get you fired up. This one's called 'mom'."

"Won't leave the house till its all in place," she sang.  
"You know a mess is a human discrace  
clean up the dishes take out the trash  
cats are fed and potatoes are mashed  
one day the juice was left out  
she was in a rush  
won't leave the juice out on the table  
she'd rather not go  
leave the juice out for 5 minutes  
leave it out for 10 or 12  
your life is tick tick tocking by  
leave the juice out before its too late" I laughed at the lyrics. Lunachicks were a really... funny band.

"Won't leave the juice out  
can't hook-up the water spout  
cant record on the VCR,  
but she works  
she works so hard, mom oh mom!" Coach Boomer raised an eyebrow and began tapping his feet.

"Just leave it on the table  
go outside and smell the air,  
it's not clean it's worse then the table  
but you breathe it everywhere  
studies, oh she studies  
she studies so hard  
reads those books, writes those papers  
heats up coffee that's been sitting there  
if it tastes a little old she doesn't care  
but beware!  
You don't like our tattoos  
but you kinda like my pink hair  
I don't like your panty hose  
I like a different kind of underwear

Won't leave the juice out  
can't hook-up the water spout  
cant record on the VCR,  
but she works  
she works so hard, mom oh mom!

I left the house before it was too late  
now I'm living like a human, just great!  
Bye mom, I'll see you later." The last chord was strummed by Crispy and the kids stopped dancing and clapped.

"Thank you!" Maj said into the mike, "we'll be right back."

"I need a cheese cube," she told me as she hopped off stage.

As I sat by the snack table, watching a purple-clad Magenta down more than the recommended amount of cheese I felt a tap on my shoulder.

_What?_ I turned.

No. No, no, no, no!

"Hey… Lash," I said to him. He gave a crooked smile

------------------------------------------------0--------------------------------------------

_**OHEMGEE! SHE FINALLY UPDATED!**_** Yes, I did. I finally decided to update.**

**And this is completely screwed up! It was meant to end like, four chapters ago! Oh, well.**

**And, I left you with a cliffie. How do you like THEM cookies?**

**TTFN**

**SlittleA**


	41. I woke up when someone slammed the door

**Sorry about the cliffie… I am a terrible person!!! Okay, so here is chapter… whatever it is… and I hope it's not too much of a disappointment. **

**TTFN**

**SlittleA**

**------------------------------------------------0--------------------------------------------------**

"So," Lash asked, "How are you?"

I grunted in reply before asking, "Why are you here?" He wasn't dressed formally, so it was really a good question. I was hoping, in some distant corner of my mind, that he would say 'Just to be near you' or some corny thing like that.

"Speed's doing security and asked me to tag along," he snapped me back from that distant corner.

"Oh," I said, clearly disappointed, "is Speed here?" I tried to change the subject. Lash's face fell.

"Yeah… outside."

"Oh."

Magenta came up to us with a disturbingly full mouth of cheese.

"Hey Lash, long time no see," she mumbled in monotone.

"Hey… I here you upped your power. Good for you," Lash said awkwardly.

"Yup… I have to go. Crispy's calling," Magenta said. Suddenly my mind flashed back to that night at the beach… only back then Lash and I had spent the whole night talking about music.

And Magenta was just trying to get away from our arguments.

Now she was actually being called by the person I once called my boyfriend.

I went outside with Lash to go see Speed. We were quiet.

"Hey Speed," I smiled.

"Cassie," he acknowledged me.

"Anything interesting out here?"

"Nothing… yet. I'm praying for some sort of Royal Pain replay," he joked, leaning against the wall.

"I should get back inside;" I said suddenly, "Mark is probably waiting for me."

"Mark?" Speed and Lash asked at the same time. Speed sounded interested and Lash sounded insulted.

"My date," I explained coldly. I wanted Lash to feel a tiny bit rejected. If I didn't, what kind of ex-girlfriend would I be… right?

As I strolled back inside Mark asked me to dance. I kindly said, "sure." Fine… so I was a bit reluctant. But HELLO! This guy SPITS ACID!

Layla said that when I walked down the stairs, Mark was burning a whole in the ground. I shrugged it off… but now I was being cautious.

His hand rasted on my hip, which made me realize that this guy probably couldn't dance well. 'You're supposed to put it on my waist' I wanted to say.

We danced… it was, satisfactory. Fine. Just fine.

I spotted Lash across the hall and my heart, as cliché as this sounds, skipped a metaphorical beat.

Magenta stepped onto the stage and said, "Now some Aerosmith…"

_Ah, I love to look into your big blue eyes_

Lash looked at me from across the hall. Aerosmith, wow, great choice Magenta. Way to make things easier._  
They talk to me and seem to hypnotize  
They say the things nobody dares to say  
And I'm not about to let you fly away  
_Lash looked away, but I kept looking at him.

But this was… Lash. I mean, did it really matter if we looked at each other? He was my first boyfriend._  
My lover with no jet lag  
We're staying up all night in my sleeping bag_

The first guy I actually liked._  
You got a heart beat rhythm from the subterrain  
I really love you little girl  
I don't need to explain  
_The first guy I, dare I say it, loved?

I love you 'cause your Deuces Are Wild, girl  
Like a double shot of lovin' so fine  
I been lovin' you since you was a child, girl

Lash looked at me again, as Magenta's amazing singing voice boomed over the couples, groups and randoms dancing on the floor. Mark was looking at me hopefully, but I was standing a safe distance from both guys._  
'Cause you and me is two of a kind  
_Lash and I… we seemed very… good for each other. When we lay down next to each other my head would rest directly in between the crook between his chest and his chin, his arms would wrap around me tightly, but not restrictingly…_  
Ah, like deja vu I feel like I've been here  
Or somewhere else but you've been always near_

**SNAP OUT OF IT CASSIE! LASH BETRAYED YOU! He made you look like a fool.**_  
It's you that's in my dreams I'm begging for  
But I woke up when someone slammed the door  
_But he came back._  
So hard I fell outta bed_

**And tried to have sex with you**_  
Screamin' mama's little baby loves shortnin' bread  
And the moral of the story _

But he got me a dress…_  
I can testify_

**That you are wearing to Homecoming… and guess what, Cassie. He is HERE. Right now. Oggling you in a slinky black dress and high heels.**_  
I get stoned on you girl  
That's the best reason why_

But…

**No But's.**

He looked at me again… and I raised an eyebrow. He raised one two and I couldn't help but crack a smile.

**-----------------------------------------------------------0---------------------------------------**

**Finished? Not even close. Random? Yes. GOING ANYWHERE? WHO KNOWS!**

**TTFN **

**SlittleA**


	42. Oops

_Hey. I'm back from The Caribbean. Good times. Anyway, I have some good ideas for this Fic. Or at least, I think they're good._

_Don't hesitate to tell me if it sucks. You only learn by failing._

_SlittleA_

_----------------------------------------------0----------------------------------------_

The music had faded. The party was over.

I'm not complaining, I had a good time. Magenta and I had danced. I danced with Crispy, Zack and even Will. I danced with Layla and Ethan.

I even danced with my date, Mark.

Lash had left when Speed left, he didn't say goodbye.

Not that I had expected him to.

No.

Of course not.

Mark and I walked up to my doorstep. It was awkward, because he could tell that I didn't like him that way.

He didn't try kiss me, and I was silently grateful. I never wanted him to.

I closed the door behind me and walked up to my room. My parents were asleep. I went and got changed into a sports bra and loose fitting pyjama pants.

For a second, I looked at myself in the mirror. My lips were still red and my eye makeup was smudged. I hadn't bothered to take it off. I looked at my torso, my flat stomach and my slender hips. I looked at my faded blue pants and at my black painted toe-nails.

I looked alright, didn't I? There was nothing _wrong_ with my appearance. I frowned in a vain attempt to think of my flaws. Sure, I was a tiny bit flat chested. My chin was a bit pointy. My forehead was a bit big.

But overall, I was relatively attractive. Wasn't I?

_Then why doesn't Lash like me anymore?_

Crap. I knew there was a reason for my vanity.

I climbed into bed and closed my eyes. I quickly fell asleep.

((------------------------------------------------------------------------))

The weekend passed by quickly. I hung out with Maj, caught up on my art homework and watched some TV. No big deal. Monday came quickly, faster than I had been hoping. I wanted time away from school.

First-period-on-a-Monday-blues was cleared when I entered the art room. It smelled of paints and charcoal and clay. I sat down in my usual seat and waited for class to begin.

Mr. Goodwill entered the room.

Ha.

He looked very much like an old bird. His nose was huge, and his hair was black. Glassed pushed up his nose and a kind smile made me forget how cruel his eyes sometimes looked without them.

"The anatomy of the human," he began, "is complex."

I sighed. Complex? Another word for BORING.

"So," he continued, "I have a model coming in for your lesson. Pick a part of his body and draw it. And no, Melina, the model will not be naked," he added briskly as Melina Solser (who could communicate with snakes) put up her hand. Snakes were one animal, Layla had once explained to me, and then she went on to describe the vast array of animals her mother could speak to.

Melina's hand drooped and a few students chuckled. I sat behind my easel, waiting for the model.

He walked in.

Shit.

Fuck.

No.

No way.

My legs wanted so desperately to flee the room, my feet actually started to twitch nervously in my converse sneakers. Lash took his place on the stool at the front of the room. My eyes dropped back to my paper.

"One part of the body _only_," Mr. Goodwill repeated. I looked up, only for my eyes to lock onto Lash's.

I knew what I would draw.

His face.

It was easy, drawing the face I had looked on for so long. I knew his features like the back of my hand, but when it got to his eyes, I stalled.

I had to look up at him for that. And surely, his eyes were pointed directly at me. I drew them, sparkling with detail. Every fleck of gold or black was visible and even the drawing seemed to burn me.

I touched the left eye of my work softly, even smiling a little when it caught on fire. The page burned and people around me looked on, some people gasped and Mr. Goodwill was muttering something about a fire extinguisher.

My smirk had left my face, but I looked blankly at the fire, my head at an angle. I saw the eyes burn and I smiled. I actually smiled. My vision faded and the world seemed to fall into black and white.

But because Lash's face was burning?

It made no sense.

The page was extinguished and only the right eye of Lash's once-portrait remained. I handed it in for my work.

An A.

_Although burning your work is highly unorthodox, _I could barely hear Mr. Goodwill drone, _The work you presented was magnificent. Very bitter sweet, is it not? The look in the eye? Never the less, I must give you detention for starting a fire in my classroom._

I nodded, at appropriate intervals.

And as I walked from the room, I heard Mr. Goodwill gasp. I turned and saw, I had left blazing footprints on his office floor.

All I could manage was, "Oops."

((-------------------------------------------------------))

"Cassandra," Principle Powers said in her wise tone, "There is something wrong."

_Duh._

"Your powers," she continued, "Have been running of their own accord. This can be brought on by monumental stress or for other psychological reasons."

"And," she kept on going, "they have developed at an alarming rate. Mr. Goodwill said that your… feet… were on fire." She gave me an overly concerned look before asking, "Are you alright?"

_No._

"Yeah. I'm fine Principle P."

"Are you sure? Because you seem, for lack of a better word, spacy."

"Oh. Well… I guess I've been a little bit in my own world lately."

"I think you should see the councillor, just once, and if it helps you can go back."

_Damn._

"Sure thing. Anything else?"

Her cream coloured suit was grey in my new vision and she frowned at me, "I think you should meditate."

I actually laughed, "Meditate?"

"Yes, it helps calm you down. Layla Williams meditates frequently, maybe she can help you."

"Sure, whatever," I said, preparing to get up from her chair.

"And Cassandra?"

"Yep?"

"Please don't touch anything in my office. I don't want anything burnt."

My hand lifted off the seat quickly and I walked out of her office.


	43. Glorious Technology

I had just gotten back from my **very disturbing** councilor. We had sat and done nothing for a solid hour before he said, "Cassandra, are you planning on saying anything?"

I paused. "Well, 'Doctor', as much as I love coming in here and making my parents pay $200 an hour to have some quack nod- I have to tell you that I can get the same thing for much less from my Daffy Duck Bobble Head."

The therapist blanked and said that we had run out of time.

---

"OH MY DARLING!" was all I heard as I wandered through the front door.

"Calm down, mom," I told her.

"BUT YOU'RE BLIND!" she wailed.

"No," I told her, "I'm not. I just see in black and white."

I went into the fire-room and sat on the table. It smelled of leather from Warren being there. I looked at my feet, willing them to burst into flames.

I almost fell off the table when they did.

_Crap. These are my best jeans!_ Was what ran through my head.

But, more strangely, the flames were in colour.

I called up Maj, and talked to her about my councilor.

--Seriously, Cass. Talk to Layla.—

"But," I tried to argue, "Meditating isn't my style."

--Just _do_ it, Junior.--

Unable to argue with my Guinea Girl, I called up Layla and explained the situation to her.

--Sure, Cass.—

I could practically hear her grin as she agreed to help me meditate.

((------------------------------------------------------------------------))

"Now, breathe in and out," Layla told me.

"Let all past grievances be forgotten. Accept that everyone is doing their best from their state of consciousness…"

_Bull._

I was sitting in the lotus position on the floor of Layla's bedroom. And I felt like an absolute idiot.

_Doing their best from their state of consciousness? Wow, that makes sense. _

_Was Lash doing his best when he left? Was he doing his best when he got be drunk? Was he doing his best when he made me feel ugly and stupid and a fool?_

_Well, I have some news for him…_

"Cass, we're finished," Layla said, "how do you feel?"

"Better," I told her honestly. My vision recognized the hazel colour of her eyes. That was definitely a good sign. Maybe Layla was on to something with this whole 'meditating' idea.

((-----------------------------))

_Okay. Cassie. Calm down… breathe in and out. Let all past grievances be- oh screw it!_

I picked up the phone and began to dial Lash's mobile phone number.

---This is Lash…--

"Lash?"

--You know what to do. BEEP—

Oh… message. I cleared my throat, "Uh… oh Jesus this is stupid."

I hung up.

And then, being a complete idiot, I decided to call again.

--This is Lash. You know what to do. BEEP.—

"Lash? It's Cassie… and I think…"

_What do you think? THINK!_

"I think that I… kind of need closure. Or something. Call me back."

**BlackLavender: **Hey Miss Grey.

**PyroManiac: **How's life, Maj?

**BlackLavender: **Same ol' same ol'.

**BlackLavender: **Haven't heard from you since Art Incident. How did meditation go?

**PyroManiac: **Pretty good, actually. I can see eye colours now.

**BlackLavender: **-- Wow. Proud of you, Cass.

**PyroManiac: **Hey, it's an improvement.

**PyroManiac:** …

**BlackLavender: **What?

**PyroManiac:** I… called Lash. And left him a message. Is that totally desperate?

**BlackLavender:** Depends.

**PyroManiac**: On what?

**BlackLavender:** On what you asked for.

**PyroManiac: **I asked him to call me back because I needed… closure. Or something.

**BlackLavender:** Hmm… I don't think that's _too_ desperate.

**Pyromaniac: **--;; Thanks.

**BlackLavender:** No prob, Cass.

I signed out. My head was spinning from phoning Lash and I… needed to lie down.

I don't know how long I was lying on my bed when my cell began to ring. I looked at it. Lash?

No. It was Warren.

"Hey," I answered.

--Therapy went down well?—

"Meh. I didn't talk, and then I suggested that he could be replaced by a novelty bobble head."

--I have taught you well, grasshopper.—

I laughed and said, "What are you up to?"

--Nothing. Talking to you.—

"Great to see they both wind up in the same league."

--I just care _that_ much.—

"Good news. I can see eye colours now."

--… is that it?—

"Why do I feel like my improvements aren't registered by you guys?"

--Well…--

I sighed, "I'm not feeling too good."

--Kay, Junior. Get some sleep. I'll see you on Monday.—

"'Night."

((---------------------------------------o0o-----------------------------------------))

**OH MY EFFING GOD, ALICE! YOU UPDATED!!**

**I know. I'm shocked, too. Sorry for the VERY SHORT CHAPTER. But I want to get my next idea for **_**I Can't Tell**_** under way.**

**But, I suppose that I should run it by you guys first.**

**So, I want them to QUOTE UNQUOTE 'Make up' to a certain extent. (Pelvic Activities may ensue) or we could possibly have something along those lines. But, my idea is somewhere off in the not-so-distant future.**

**It was just a flash I had in my mind, really.**

**Cassie's at Super College (A better name will be made. Honest.) and SURPRISE, SURPRISE!! Lash is the professor (or Teaching Assistant) of Villainology or something. 'Getting inside the head of a villain' and thing get all awkward and they have a rowdy good time being College Students.**

**Yes? No?**

**Questions? Queries? Complaints?**

**-Alice**


	44. Dreaming

I fell asleep on Sunday Night to the sound of my CD's playing softly in the background. I was tired, my eyes burned and I needed sleep.

But I had the strangest dream. I was on top of a building, and Lash and Warren were there. I looked over the edge of the building, only to see the rushing traffic below. I turned to them and said, 'How to I get down?'

'Take the stairs,' was Warren's reply.

'Just jump. Nothing will happen, promise,' was what Lash said.

I stared at the Brother I Never Had and my Ex-Boyfriend. I needed a decision.

Then I woke up.

"Cassie! School!" I groaned and got up. My father had chosen to wake me up twenty minutes later than usual. I would need to rush.

I jumped out of bed and ran into the bathroom. I leapt into the shower, only turning on the cold water. I quickly scrubbed, brushed my teeth and went back into my bedroom.

I hauled my closet open, but everything was Grey, or Black, or White.

I pulled out a grey skirt, my black boots and a white shirt. My hair was done into a loose bun behind my head, and I threw myself down the stairs.

"Hi parental figures," I told my parents, who were sitting in the kitchen. I grabbed my bag that was sitting on the chair, my final draft of Ruby Tuesday tucked neatly inside a folder.

"Bye, parental figures," I called to them as I left the house.

((------------------------------------------))

I sat next to Magenta on the bus, who seemed strange to me now that I couldn't see the purple on her.

"How's life, Cass?"

"Monochromatic," I said, shrugging.

"Did you-know-who call you back?" she asked, a little softer than necessary.

"Nope," I sighed, "but that's fine. Right?"

"Oh, yeah," she said, "fine."

I got the feeling that she didn't think it was fine.

"Hey, Cass. Heard you spazzed out in class," Zach told me from the seat behind me.

"Only a little," I grunted.

Warren was sitting on the other side of the isle, looking at me.

"You _do_ know that you're wearing a baby pink shirt. Right?" he asked.

"Shit," I looked at it, "it looked white in my vision. Shit it to hell!"

But I cracked a smile at Warren who smiled his rare grin back, "There. I was beginning to wonder if you had teeth."

As a joke, I elongated my fangs at him and said, "Believe me. I have teeth."

It felt good that Warren was still able to treat me the same as he usually did. Apparently, I was the only one he smiled at anymore.

((-------------------------------------))

I was walking down the hall to my Hero History class, which, although it was boring as all hell, was very easy.

As I rounded the corner I jumped. Who was standing in front of me but the person I didn't want to have any physical contact with?

"Cassie," he said as way of greeting.

"Lash," I said in the same tone.

"Closure?"

"Sorry. Not now, I have class," I told him.

"What happened to the Cassie that used to ditch History with me to go throw eggs off the edge of the school?" he asked, plastering a crooked grin on his face.

"She got carried away by pixies," I said, "seriously, though. I need to get to class."

"Do you, now?" he asked me, beginning to walk with me toward the classroom.

As we walked, his hands stayed in his pockets. His hair was falling in front of his eyes in a way that made me want to brush it away.

_Cassie. Get a grip._

"What more do I have to do, Cassie?" he asked tiredly, his crooked grin gone from his face.

"I don't know, Lash. It depends on what you're trying to achieve," I replied, looking straight ahead.

"It's not as if things can go back to the way they were, can they?" he sighed.

"I guess not. Things change, Lash. People change," I stopped walking, as did he. I turned to him and said, "And then again we have the people who never change."

He groaned, "So _that's_ what this is about? You think I haven't changed?"

"I don't know what this is about. Maybe it's about the fact that _I was fine_ and you had to go play hero. The one time you decide to play hero and it gets you knee deep in shit," my voice stayed steady, but it was slowly growing in volume.

"Cassie," he stopped. He couldn't think of anything to say.

"Just forget it, Lash," I said, probably a little too harshly, "you're trying to get me to jump when I could easily just… take the stairs."

My dream flashed in my head. Lash's crooked grin. Warren's worried face. The rushing traffic below. Twenty stories high. Thirty.

"What on earth are you on about?" Lash asked, edging on angrily.

"I need to get to class," I said, not looking him in the eye.

"Go on, Little Miss Grey. Learn your dates and facts, but you'll realize that some things just matter a little bit more," he told me, his breath was hot on my face.

"I hope so," I said, finally daring to look him in the eye.

As I turned to walk to class, the world began to spring into colour. The blue lockers, the off-white walls, my baby pink shirt. I held out a hand in front of my face.

I blinked.

A tear slipped down my cheek.

So much for closure.

((-------------------------------------))

"In World War Two, Adolf Hitler led the Nazi Party to take over Poland," my teacher was droning.

I looked at Magenta from across the room. She hadn't regained her colour yet. Neither had Lash, or Warren.

Everyone I cared about was still in black and white.

"This doesn't make any sense," I told myself.

((--------------------------------))

"Yes, Cassandra?" Principle Powers said.

"Um… well, I can see in colour again," I told her.

"But?"

"But certain people are still in black and white."

"Who, pray tell?"

"My friends. Like, Magenta Vitz… Warren Peace," I stopped there, not wanting to tell her about Lash.

"And Mr. Roberts?"

_Shit._

"Um… who?"

"Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about, Cassie. I get very upset when people do such things."

"Lash is black and white, too. Okay? Happy?" I blurted.

"He's going to teach a new subject I'm starting to fund at M.S.U. After you graduate next term, you might want to consider taking it."

"What subject?" I asked slowly, wandering what Lash could be qualified to teach at Maxville Super University.

"Criminal Psychology; Getting Inside the Head of a Villain," she told me.

"Of course," I said sarcastically, "because he has so much _good experience_ in that field."

"Yes," she told me honestly.

I grunted a reply and left the office, careful not to touch anything flammable.

((---------------------------------------))

At lunch, I was lying on the bench with my head on Warren's lap. We were flicking little balls of flame at each other, in an attempt to relieve boredom.

"I got you a pudding," Magenta told me, her grey hand holding out a chocolate tub.

"Thanks," I told her.

My eyes looked up at Warren, who looked down at me.

"You guys look weird in Black and White," I said plainly.

"Any theories to why we're the only things that looks like Old Time Movies?" Maj asked.

"Nope. Probably 'cos you guys are the people I care about. I'll go home today and see if the Parental Figures are monochrome," I said.

And I continued playing with fire.

((--------------------------------o0o---------------------------------))

**HEY HEY!**

**Read and Review, please.**

**See how I worked in my new plot twist in there? I'm a genius. Seriously.**

**And what should you guys make of the dream? Is Cassie in love with who she thinks she's in love with?**

**Ooooh. DRAMA.**

**-Alice**


	45. Light Surrounding Us

_Don't get TOO excited. I'm using my grandmothers laptop. Lash's POV in this chappie is gonna kind of be a song-fic. I'VE BEEN DYING TO USE THIS SONG IN THIS STORY FOR AGES!!! And don't worry, I am aware of MASSIVE plagiarism for the Virginity List later in this chapter. Thank you, Meg Cabot, for being to plagiarize-able! _

_X _

_Alice_

_------------------------------------------------ _

I was talking to my mother two days later. She had since returned to color (thank god) and so had my dad. Magenta had also turned back into her usual purple self. Warren was once again red-streaked and angsty. Lash, who I hadn't seen since our conversation in the hall, was probably back in color, too. I hoped.

"So," my mom began, stopping her mother-stereotype-cooking and looking at me, her blue eyes staring into mine, "boy trouble, huh?"

Of course she knew. She always knew.

"Yeah. I guess," I replied.

"Is this about Lash?"

Like I said, she always knows.

I nodded.

" Cassie, you can't be worrying about _boys_ so close to your S.S.A.T's!"

The extra 'S' is for 'Super', in case you're wondering.

It was true. She was right.

"Consider Lash non-worry-able, then," I said, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl placed to my right.

That night I had that stupid dream again. Only it finished this time. I stared from Warren to Lash. Warren told me, "I just want you to be safe."

I grinned- I could feel it- before taking a running jump off the edge of the building.

My mind is made up, I guess.

The next day at school, a Friday, I was getting my books out of my locker when Lash did something very stomach-melting.

Coming up behind me (my super-senses knew he was there. But like I said to my mom, I was trying not to worry) he leaned in close and whispered in my ear, "Cassandra.'

His breath smelled like marshmallows. The most trivial of thoughts popped into my head- 'I wonder if he _tastes_ like marshmallows, too…'

I turned to him, to find him leaning over me, his arm resting on my now-closed locker.

"That's not fair," I told him sternly.

"What? That I'm so sexily seductive?" he joked.

"No," I pouted, "I have a long first name. You're just LASH."

From the expression on his face, I could tell he felt at ease with me. Joking, like we used to.

"What are you doing after school today?"

"Studying for exams," I lied, "You?"

"Well, you know, what with me being a high school dropout 'n' all- nothing," he smiled, his marshmallow breath tickling the sides of my face.

While we were busy staring at each other, waiting for one of us to back down from pressure (or sexual tension. Either) first, he absently licked his lips.

A chill went down my spine.

"Actually," I was telling the truth this time, "I was going to hang out on the cliffs after school."

"Really?"

"Yeah," I lied again, "Maj and Warren were maybe gonna come, too. Maybe Layla. Would you care to join us- Oh Great University Lecturer?"

"Oh, so you _heard_ about that, did ya?" he asked, not answering my question.

"Obviously," I replied sarcastically, "is that a 'yes' or a 'no'?"

"I'll be there," he said, licking his lips again. Now I was sure he was simply torturing me.

I took in a shaky breath, unsure of how to part ways, I looked down. I decided, then, that torture would not be one-sided.

I licked my upper lip, seemingly subconsciously, before biting my lower one.

I ducked under his arm and said, "See you later, then," before walking away.

_Don't turn back_, I reminded myself, _don't give him that win._

---

"Magenta!" I whispered as loudly as I could to get her attention.

"What!?" she whispered back, mocking me.

"It's about YOU KNOW WHO!" I replied.

That caught her attention. Perfect.

"And?"

"I arranged to meet him at the cliffs," I said proudly.

"This isn't some sort of suicide pact, is it?" she joked.

"Suicide MURDER," I joked back. But inside, my stomach was doing flips.

((---------------------------------**LASH POV**---------------------------------))

I walked down to the cliffs- which weren't so much cliffs as they were rocks close to the water- and saw Cassie sitting there. Alone.

Her curly hair blew in the light breeze. She knew I was there already. Wolf Senses and all. Why did she have to make it so hard?

I… I wanted to leave her alone. I wanted to be out of her life, and for a while, I thought she wanted that, too.

_I see you by the water, _

_Your toes dipped in the sand, _

_I thought that it was over, _

_I thought you'd understand, _

_But the feeling is returning, _

_And time has made us change, _

_And I understand if you don't _

_Want to talk to me about it _

_Tonight… _

I sat beside her. She had been crying for some reason, her pale cheeks were tear-stained.

She was hugging her knees and ignored me for a few seconds before her head came to rest on my shoulder.

_Time has overtaken me, _

_And I guess I was confused, _

_They had all invited me, _

_But I wish I had refused, _

_'Cos I've been there before, _

_And I've seen it all, _

_But I believe _

_In you… _

I talked for a while, and I guess she was listening. I told her about how sorry I was for leaving, and how I knew she could have taken care of herself with Gwen. I told her why villainy was so tempting the first time. And for some reason – like at the hospital – I was suddenly pouring my heart out to her.

_'Cos I see the light, _

_Surrounding you, _

_So don't be afraid of _

_Something new. _

_'Cos I see the light, _

_Surrounding you, _

_So don't be afraid of what _

_You're turning into. _

About how much was in love with her, and how much of a prick I was for doing all the shit I did. She was still hugging her knees, and her head was still resting on my shoulder. So I said, "You're a really good listener."

Instead of her usual response of, "It's one of my better qualities," she asked- "What are we?"

"We?"

"Yeah."

"You mean there's a 'we' now?" Her eyes widened at this realization I pointed out to her.

"There's always been a 'we', Lash. I realize that now… I guess," she finally looked at me, "But I don't think it's the 'we' I want."

"What do you want us to be?"

Then _she_ was suddenly spilling her guts. About how much she wanted me. Which, I have to admit, turned me on a little.

"Loving you," she finished, "Is just so easy."

And then we kissed. I won't go into details, but it was pretty… well… heated. Her soft hands were under my shirt, exploring my back and chest, and mine were under _her_ shirt, exploring _her_ back and chest. You can see where I'm going with this.

"You make everything so easy," she said in between bruising kisses.

"Even you," I joked.

She stopped kissing me, and I thought I had gone too far, before she burst out laughing and hugged me. Really hugged me.

"That's the Lash I love," she laughed.

I couldn't take it any more, so I grabbed her hand, listed her up and pulled her to my car.

((----------------------- **CASSIE****'S POV**----------------------------))

**TOP TEN PLACES PEOPLE COMMONLY LOSE THEIR VIRGINITY: **

10. Back seat of his car. I mean, eww. Back cramps, much? Luckily, this was not going to happen to me.

9. After the prom. Didn't happen to me- and it's not nearly as romantic as it sounds.

8. Your parents bed while they're away for the weekend. Ew. EW! It's your PARENTS bed! The place where YOU were CONCEIVED! Gross.

7. HIS parents bed while they're away for the weekend. Well, Lash doesn't live with his dad. So, thank god. Besides, it would be way embarrassing if his alcoholic dad finds my Hello Kitty underwear in his sheets.

6. In a tent at Summer Camp. Hello. It's a tent. WE CAN ALL HEAR YOU!

5. On a beach. Sand. It get's everywhere.

4. Outdoors AT ALL. One word: Bugs.

3. His room. Um, okay. Have you ever smelled his socks? Yeah, his whole ROOM smells like that.

2. YOUR room. Yeah, as if I'll let him deflower me in front of Miss Princess Mopsy Head, and on a My Little Pony bedspread.

**AND THE NUMBER ONE PLACE WHERE PEOPLE COMMONLY LOSE THEIR VIRGINITY: **

1. Your best friends' house. OKAY! So it's not where _most_ people lose It, but Maj was going away for the weekend with her folks, her bedroom is a lot cooler than mine with NO rag dolls (and it smells like blueberries, not socks). PLUS it was closest to the cliffs, and I have a key. So it was apparently where I'd be losing MY virginity.

---

"Lash?" I asked curiously when he was reaching inside his pocket, "what's in your pocket?"

So he showed me.

---------------------------------

_Ew. Can you say Graphic Image ending? But not ENDING ending. Just until I, you know, get back to Convict Australia. _

_Tata. _

_X _

_Alice_


	46. Morning After, and that Monday

_Promise you won't kill me when I say this? Okay. I'm not writing a sex-scene. _

_I know what you're thinking- "But… but… you're so good at smut! YOU RATED THIS M FOR A REASON!" _

_Well, first of all, thank you. But Smutty Goodness is not my forte, and I am well aware of this (despite my Fic 'Fantasies' which pleased all Warren/Maj lovers who bothered to read it). For this reason, I have not written a sex-scene. Unfortunately, I wrote a kickass chapter (smut free. Honest), but due to this being on my grandmothers computer, it was lost into Nothing Land. Hopefully I can re-create it as much as possible. _

_Oh well. _

_My favourite non-canonical pairing is introduced in this chapter. Don't kill me, please. _

_X _

_Alice_

---------------------------------

People always talk about It, and about how Losing It is some Big Thing. It's not. Really. I didn't feel 'complete' afterward. I felt pretty much the same, albeit a little sore.

We were just lying there afterwards. Naked. I'm sorry, but I just couldn't get over our, well, nakedness. I mean, I had always _wanted_ to have sex. But when I realized that Lash was lying next to me… naked… inside I wanted to giggle like a 12-year-old.

But I didn't. That's right, I restrained myself, somehow.

"If I take your class next year, will I get straight 'A's?" I asked, trying to think of something but our lack of clothes.

Lash didn't help, because he wrapped his arms (which looked really, really hot. Just so you know. I guess these things are more obvious after you've had sex…) around my middle and joked, "Well, I suppose sleeping with the teacher should have some perks."

I didn't tell him that MSU was only _one_ of the colleges I applied to.

I got up and had a shower, using Magenta's blueberry scented body wash, which was the cause of her room smelling so good. While I was wondering how much Magenta used (probably a lot, considering the smell infiltrated her room) I rummaged through her stuff, as I had a million times before.

Nothing had changed.

And that was it.

-----------

**_BlackLavender:_**_ CASSIE _

I was kinda surprised- seeing as she was in Forks, Washington- visiting her grandmother and all. Who new her grandma had a computer?

**_PyroManiac:_**_ Yeah? _

**_BlackLavender:_**_ What happened? _

**_PyroManiac:_**_ With what? _

**_BlackLavender:_**_ Duh. Lash? On the cliffs? _

**_PyroManiac:_**_ Oh. Yeah. We actually went to your house. _

**_BlackLavender_**_: Haha. You didn't have sex on my bed, or anything, right? _

**_BlackLavender_**_: Haha… _

**_PyroManiac_**_: … _

**_BlackLavender_**_: RIGHT?!?! _

**_PyroManiac_**_: Well… _

**_BlackLavender_**_: OMG! Oh. My. Naked. God. _

**_PyroManiac:_**_ Are you mad? _

**_BlackLavender_**_: … I'm… impressed. _

**_PyroManiac:_**_ Really? _

**_BlackLavender_**_: Well, I dunno. YOU HAD SEX!!! _

**_PyroManiac:_**_ Well, yeah. The fact that I'm no longer a virgin kinda tipped me off… _

**_BlackLavender:_**_ :[ Now I feel all inferior. WHY CAN'T I HAVE SEX!? _

**_PyroManiac:_**_ Because you're not a slut? _

**_BlackLavender:_**_ NO, it's because I don't have a steady boyfriend… wait… neither did you! _

**_PyroManiac:_**_ Haha- ask Zach! He'd jump at the opportunity! _

**_BlackLavender:_**_ Time for me to be serious. Can you follow me, Cass? _

**_PyroManiac:_**_ Uh… sure. _

**_BlackLavender: _**_There's this guy… _

**_PyroManiac: _**_WHO?!?! Tell me now! _

**_BlackLavender:_**_ I don't want you to be mad… _

**_PyroManiac:_**_ Why would I be mad? _

**_PyroManiac:_**_ You there? _

**_BlackLavender:_**_ -sigh- It's Warren. _

**_PyroManiac:_**_ … _

**_BlackLavender:_**_ Are you mad? _

**_Pyromaniac: _**_This is SO COOL! _

**_BlackLavender:_**_ You _do_ realize that I'm having furious macking sessions with our mutual best friend, right? _

**_PyroManiac:_**_ YOU GUYS ARE SO PERFECT TOGETHER! You're… like Caramel Bites! Hard on the outside but soft and sweet on the inside! And you're both all streaked and angsty! _

**_BlackLavender: _**_Oh, I _know_ you did NOT just compare me to chocolate! _

**_PyroManiac:_**_ I have to go now. Parental Figures calling. KEEP IN MIND THAT YOU AND WARREN ARE THE BEST COUPLE EVER!!! _

**_BlackLavender:_**_ Bye, Cass. AND I NEVER USED THE WORD "COUPLE"!!! _

----

"'What if?'"- my English teacher was pacing around the room that Monday morning- "is the basis of Speculative Fiction!"

_So,_ I read a note from Maj, _how big is his… Inguinal Ligament?!_

That's a Bio major for you. They can come up with as many long phrases for PENIS as they can- but they can never say it out loud. Or write it down, apparently.

_You mean his PENIS?_ I wrote back, _Oh, well, I don't have much to compare it to, you know. _

I passed it behind me. The teacher kept on pacing and writing on the board.

_I can see him! NOW! _

I read the note with confusion, and wrote back- _What? You're picturing my boyfriend's penis?! _

I heard her laugh as she read it before tapping me on the shoulder with her pencil (eraser side, thankfully) and then pointing outside with it.

And there he was. And he was waving at me.

I put up my hand, causing my teacher to stop mid-rant, to ask, "What is it, Cassandra? This better be important!"

Because he was being so indignant, I tried to make this as uncomfortable as possible for him. So I replied, "I'm riding the crimson wave, sir. Can I have the hall pass?"

Obviously, he blanked as he handed the pass to me. Magenta was laughing so hard she was crying.

I ran outside to Lash, and he kissed me. He does this thing where he cups my face to keep it steady, which is really hot. And, I couldn't help thinking, is something Warren would never do for Maj.

Not that it's a competition. Whose boyfriend is hotter, I mean. But mine _so_ is. Who cares if Warren is totally built, has long hair and has the whole 'Brood' thing going for him? Lash is built, too, has a total 60s rock haircut, and is a High School Dropout / Misfit- which is really awesome.

I turned to my English class window, where Magenta was waving to me. I waved back, before noticing that my teacher, in all his English glory, was scowling at me and yelling something (probably 'GET RIGHT BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!') only I couldn't hear him.

Lash waved to him, and so did I, before we ran behind the school, out of his view.

Let's just say that Lash is an excellent kisser, with perfect tongue-to-lip ratio.

---------------------------------

_Sorry for the short chapter. The original was way longer, but whatcha gonna do? _

_TTFN _

_Alice_


	47. Yale?

_Dear readers,_

_Alice apologises for being so lazy. But she is a Sophmore, now, and with this higher status comes more homework. By the time Alice finishes her homework, she is too tired to write, draw or even put an entry in her journal._

_This, dear readers, is why it took so long for this chapter to come out._

_Apologies,_

_Alice's Brain_

_((--------------------------------------------------))_

"Ohh, honey- what about this one?" my mother handed me a pamphlet and I raised an eyebrow.

"Yale? You honestly think I'll get into YALE?" I questioned, opening the pamphlet with slight reluctance. That was ivy-league. She had got to be kidding, right?

We were filling out applications for some schools I hadn't considered yet, and my mother had extremely high expectations. I tucked a strand of curly hair behind my ear and placed the pamphlet down.

"I'm pretty sure I'll be going to MSU. They have the most developed Super Curriculum in the country," I reminded her, looking at my shell-pink nails.

Lately, I had been too happy to wear black. I had been wearing whites and blues and, dare I say it, pinks. But not much.

"I know that, Cassie- but there's more to life than saving the world!" she exclaimed, "What do you want to do with your life?"

I couldn't exactly say 'Frustrated Novelist' or 'Cute Artist' could I? So I went for something generic.

"I don't know," okay, so maybe it isn't so generic. But it's what most people say!

"What do you want to… to… _be_?" she asked, obviously trying to word the question differently.

"I want to be… interesting," I told her after a brief pause.

She smiled. She seemed genuinely happy with the answer, before handing me a pamphlet for Maxville Arts College.

---

Think a week later- Lash bit my lip. It's so hot when he does that. It pales only in comparison to when he cups my face in his hands. He broke the kiss suddenly, giving me an amused expression.

"Yale?" he asked incredulously, after I finally told him what schools I applied to.

"Hey, don't give me that look," I warned. I mean, it could happen, right?

"But that would mean you would go," he kissed me, "so.." and again, "far…" and yet again, "away."

God, he's so cute when he's all dorkish.

"I'm probably going to MSU, just so you know," I reminded him.

"And taking my class?" he asked.

"Fine!" I said, as if it was some huge chore.

I hastily checked my watch, and swore under my breath.

"I'm late for a study session with Maj and Warren!" I told him, picking up my bag and turning out of his door.

"Why don't I come with you?" he asked.

"'Cause Warren would fry you, extra crispy," I told him.

He laughed it off and kissed me goodbye.

---

"Wow, Cass. You know, if you were any later, you'd be early for the _next_ study session," Maj deadpanned as I walked into Warren's house.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I got caught up with Lash."

This was followed by some really annoying kissing noises made by both Maj and Warren.

I scoffed and pulled out my art SSAT prep book.

"Vocab?" I suggested. And we were off.

---

I actually felt like my brain was melting after an hour of Vocab, but I couldn't even begin to think about Math, so I soldiered on. Just as I was about to turn the page, my mobile phone beeped.

'I wanna show u something. Meet me at MSU at 3'.

From Lash.

Hmm. That was only a six-point-three on the weirdo scale. I checked my watch. It said 2:30.

I rolled my eyes. It would take at least twenty minutes to get to MSU from this part of town!

"I gotta go," I said, folding up my SSAT prep book with haste.

"Lash?" Warren asked grudgingly.

"Yes. You guys can go on without me, can't you?" I gave my two streaked friends suggestive glances- "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Which would amount to… oh, right. Nothing," Maj teased.

"Hmm. Not nothing. Bondage doesn't sound too fun," I joked back- halfway out the door already.

I pulled up outside the front entrance of MSU at a little after 2:50. He was standing there, just like he'd said he'd be. Only he didn't look like Lash. He was wearing a button-up shirt and a jacket, only his jeans had remained. He grabbed my hand as I stepped out of the car, and pulled me closer to him. His mouth crushed against my own. I just had to pull him off me.

"What in the name of Keith Richards' Arthritis are you wearing?" I shrieked.

"You like? It's my 'Teacher-Wear'," he explained, a grin on his face.

"As a matter of fact, I do like it. It makes you look like… like…" I was struggling for words.

"A teacher?"

"No!" I tutted him, pretending to think, "A stupid little skater boy who thinks he can teach."

He gasped in mock offence and said, "Your words stab me!"

I laughed a little before asking, "Is this why you dragged me away from SSAT prepping? Your new outfit?"

"Basically," he smiled lopsidedly, a lock of hair falling into his face.

"You anger me," I said in a near whisper, my lips brushing over his slightly.

"Hows studying going?" he asked me.

"Vocab'll be fine. It's math I'm really worried about. And then there's 'Hero'-" he interrupted me.

"Have I ever said how _glad_ I am to have dropped out?"

"Many times, yes," I kissed him again. He tasted like coffee.

"There's only two weeks 'till your exams, Cass," he said, trying to make me nervous.

"Like I care! I've already gotten accepted to MSU, Maxville Arts College and Brown!" I told him. Ivy-league is ivy-league, right?

"Don't you _dare_ go to Brown!" he said seriously.

"As if! Then I'd be away from everyone I care about!," I exclaimed exaggeratedly, "Dad, Mom, Warren, Magenta…"

That was when he crushed his lips to mine again, and I felt light-headed.

"Who would you be away from again?" he whispered huskily into my ear.

"You," I kissed him back.

Just then someone cleared their throat from behind Lash.

She was a little shorter than me with short dark hair and a pretty face. She looked a little bit embarrassed to have walked in on us making out in broad daylight.

"You're a teacher?" she asked Lash, pointing at his Access Card that hung from his neck.

"Why yes. Yes I am!" he seemed genuinely excited to be seen as an authority for once, "Mister Roberts, at your service." He bowed flamboyantly, making me giggle.

The girl looked as if she was about to laugh, too. But she didn't.

"I am majorly lost- I need to find the Dean's office," she told Lash.

"Sure, just go across the courtyard and take a left. Then after a few rooms, there'll be a corridor. Take a right there. If you hit the dorms you've gone too far," he directed her.

"Thanks. I'm Lace. Short for Lacey. What class do you teach?"

"Villain Psychology," he told her.

"I'm taking that!" she said, a little too happily.

"Well then I guess I look forward to teaching you," Lash smiled. As the cute girl walked away, my insides churned.

"She's cute," Lash told me after a minute.

"What ever happened to regular Teacher-Student relationships?" I sighed.

"Well, I am sleeping with you, Cass. And you're too _young_ to be my student just yet," he reminded me.

"Whatever. That's different," I smiled at him, saying, "you _love_ me."

"Oh, do I detect a hint of jealousy in your tone?" he said jokingly.

"No!" I defended myself, "I just don't want to see all the other Freshman gawking over you like some lovesick puppies!"

And then he bit my lip again and said, "I love you."

We got inside my car and drove home.


	48. Going Foward

**I just got a fantastic idea, guys, so the next few chapters are going to be fillers… kind of. Whatever- the point is, I was strapped for inspiration, but I had a dream that totally made my day.**

**Enjoy,**

**Alice**

**--**

Lash POV

My office looked a bit like a prison cell. It had one window, with bars on it, and was completely bare. The carpet was brown and the walls were puke green. Great. My kind of place.

I stepped into the door, a box in hand, and placed my new Teacherly Items on the table. No, not a table. A desk. _My_ desk, I had to remind myself. This isn't where I thought I would be, to be honest. But, then again, it's been a while since I had a definite idea of the future. Now, when I think about the future, all I see is Cassie. She's the only thing that I can say for sure is going to be there.

"Hey, you must be Lash," I turned to see a woman in the doorway. She looked to be about Principle Powers' age, and was very warm.

"Yeah, that's me," I replied.

"I'm Jennifer. Jennifer Mathews. I teach Veterinary Science- super division," she told me, "Come to the teachers lounge and meet everyone."

We walked down the halls, and turned into a room. It smelled of cigarette smoke and flat Coca Cola. "Everyone," she announced, "this is Lash, the new Criminal Psychology professor."

"Isn't he a bit young to be teaching at a university?" a girl, who looked to be about my age, asked from the corner. A British accent was thick on her lips, and she inhaled a cigarette.

"Believe me," an elderly gentlemen, who I recognised for some reason, sneered, "he has a lot of experience in that department."

"You're pretty young yourself," I responded to the girl, ignoring the man, "what do you teach?"

"Quantum Physics," she said.

"Ignore Emily," Jennifer told me, "she looks that young because she doesn't age. She controls the Time-Space continuum." This was a bit of a shock. I mean, I've never met anyone immortal before.

I later found out that I recognised the old man, who taught Legal Studies, because he had been at my trial. Jennifer was nice to me, in a weird motherly way. Emily, on the other hand, was very cold.

"You're a bit of a bitch, you know," I told her, as she followed me outside for a smoke.

"Only a bit?" she laughed.

"Why is that?" I questioned.

"When you can see the future, at least you have an inkling of what's going on. When you _go_ to the future… it's a whole other story. You experience it. You taste it, smell it. You feel it," she looked at me, "and more often than not, the future sucks."

I furrowed my brow, "What do you mean?"

She touched my shoulder and glared, "I'll show you."

It was the single most terrifying experience of my life. It was like I was in a vacuum, hurtling towards something that didn't quite exist.

I landed with a thump, outside a bar. I recognised it. I had gone for drinks there a few times, but it was different now. The neon sign had burned out a few letters, so instead of being called _The Laust Daymunds Bar_, the words said 'The Last Days'.

Creepy, I thought. I looked around, and saw Emily beside me. She probably brought me here to scare me. She could, after all, control the Space-Time Continuum. Maybe she had created this world, and just brought me here to freak me out.

"Welcome to your future. I'm gonna go get a drink. Look around, see if you see anything you like."

She had that twinkle in her eye that made me worried, but I followed her into the The Last Days bar.

And what I saw rocked my world. There were people who stared at me when I entered. I was wearing my Teacher-Wear, so I took off my jacket and tie, to fit in. But I couldn't. It seemed that only a few years had passed, but the hairstyles and fashion had changed dramatically. Or maybe I was just in the freak part of town.

Emily nudged me, "Go to the bar."

She was there, in a costume. It looked like it was Gothic Lolita, with sexy frills and a push up bra. Her hair was no longer blonde. She had dyed it a deep purple colour, and her bangs fell over her eyebrows.

"What can I get you?" she asked me, wiping a class.

"Cassie?" I practically shrieked.

Finally turning her eyes to my face, her blue eyes widened.  
"No fucking way," she said, slamming down the glass.

"What the hell happened to you?" I asked. She didn't look anything like herself. Firstly, she looked older. Probably around her early twenties. Secondly, she looked angrier.

"Me? You're asking what happened to _me_?" her eyes narrowed at me, and I felt my blood freeze and burst into flames at the same time.

"Lash," Emily called out, beckoning me over.

I turned back to Cassie and gave her an apologetic look. She didn't care. "Can I… um… can I just?" I pointed to Emily.

"Go ahead," she shrugged. Everything about her was sharper, more decided.

"So," Emily sneered as I reached her, "How do you like your girlfriend's new profession? She wears Harajuku costumes and slings suds to Manga fanboys."

"Waitaminute…" I was stunned, "This is Cassie's _job_?"

I looked around the bar one more time, realising the reason it had looked so foreign before. It was a total Japanese bar. Like, a beer garden only sleazier.

"The future isn't written in stone, but every decision you made, or might make, has impacted this. This might not be exact, but it's bloody close," she sipped her beer, and glanced behind me.

I turned, to meet a pair of angry blue eyes from the bar. Shit. I'd better go talk to her.

"Who's that?" Cassie asked, before scoffing, "and why do I care?"

"I don't know what happened. Why do you hate me?" I asked her.

"I don't hate you," Cassie looked down. Her voice held something for a moment. It almost sounded like sincerity.

"What year is it?" I asked, like an idiot. She gave me a very strange look before answering.

"Why do you need to know?"

"… how about I rephrase that- how old are you?" I asked her again.

She shook her head and said, "Twenty three."

I blanked. In this reality, Cassie was older than me.

"So it's been six years since I took the job at the MSU?" I asked, for confirmation.

"Yep. You look different," she said. I don't think she realised that she wasn't glaring at me any more, "Less tired."

"So, you've seen me recently?" I asked again.

"Not really. It's been a few years, La-" she stopped herself, looking down at her clothes, "I look like a freak to you, don't I? Purple hair, filly dress, serving drinks?"

"You look great," I told her. Because it was true. She had lost a bit of weight, which was disconcerting, but she looked like Cassie, under all that hair dye.

"Cassie, we need another round of shots for that table over… oh," a girl was behind the bar, now. Magenta didn't look very different. She fit in this place more than Cassie did. She was wearing the same outfit, and had ribbons wrapped through her hair.

I started to piece things together. Magenta and Cassie are working at a bar in the freak part of downtown Maxville. Cassie hates me, and has purple hair.

"Can someone _please_ tell me what's going on?" I asked no one in particular.

Before I knew what had happened, Emily was sitting beside me at the bar.

"Hi girls," she greeted Maj and Cassie, "Don't be too hard on Lash."

She then leant in and stage whispered, "I take it that this is his first time time-travelling."

Maj and Cassie both blanked and looked at each other from under heavily lined eyes.

"Time travelling?" Maj asked, finally.

"Oh, Lash is here from the present… or, your past. I decided to show him his future," she sipped on her beer and corrected herself, "well… _your_ future."

"So… this is the old Lash?" Cassie asked, her eyes locking on me.

"Correct. He has no idea about the events that have lead to this cataclysmic point in your life," Emily stated.

"My life is _not_ cataclysmic! I have a job, friends, a place to live- my life is fine," Cassie argued.

"Be reasonable, Cassandra," Emily sneered, "you hate it here. Magenta got you a job at her work, and lives with you in a tiny cramped apartment."

"It's not a fantasy, I'll admit. But it's fine by me," Cassie stood her ground.

"The good thing about coming to the future," Emily was addressing me, now, "is that you can say anything. Because, technically, the future hasn't happened yet. So, when we go back to the present, none of this has happened."

She turned back to Cassie and Maj, who were looking at her expectantly, "Magenta – that is your name, right? – only got you this job by asking the manager of the bar very, _very_ nicely. If you catch my drift. And Warren doesn't know, does he? Hmmm. Pity, that. He's going to pop the question. Not any time soon, but in the not-too-distant-future. It's a shame that he'll never know that his girlfriend a tramp. Sleeping with your boss to get your friend work... it's a shame, really. And it wasn't the first time, too. When you first started working here, he pretty much forced himself on you. Bringing back bad memories, am I? Well, too bad, because I'm not going to stop."

Magenta's face had been drained of all colour, and tears were streaming down it. Cassie was too stunned to say anything, but only for a moment.

"Stop it. Stop upsetting her," she growled.

"Well, I think you guys deserve to know. He called her in, and asked what size she needed for her sexy little Lolita uniform. She told him about her voluptuous size six, and he gave it to her. She sauntered back into the bathroom that's en suit his office, and changed into it. He took her, right there, in his office, while she asked him not to. What were her words, again, 'Please, no! Get off me! What are you doing?!'" Emily smirked at her little imitation of Magenta's gravely voice, pleading for mercy, "And then," she continued, "when Cassie was out on the streets, you took her in. You're _such a good friend._ Her family had disowned her by now, after the accident. She couldn't find a job, and refused to let you support her. You told her you could get her a job here, at _The Laust Daymunds Bar_. But your boss was only going to give it to her at a price. Just one more touch, one more thrust into your soft, supple body-"

"Shut up. Shut up right now," I told her.

"Lash, you wouldn't do anything to _me_. I'm your only ticket home," Emily snickered. I shot a look at Cassie, who was holding Magenta's shoulders as she cried.

"You're a fucking bitch. Don't you have any conscience?" Cassie asked her.

"When you've seen as many futures as I have, you know that saying these things does nothing."

At that very moment, I saw a flying, flaming fist reach out towards Emily. It landed her right in the nose, and sent her flying a good few feet back.

"Shut. The fuck. Up," Cassie growled, before shooting an icy glare at me, beneath her dark violet bangs.

"Leave," she told me, "now."

I grabbed Emily, as she staggered from the floor, trying to pretend that everyone in the bar wasn't staring at us.

"Take me back, Emily," I commanded. She did, and I was flung through the vacuum one more time.

The first thing I wanted to do when I landed, was go find Cassie to make sure that she wasn't a Gothic Lolita just yet. But first, I had a score to settle.

Emily wasn't really surprised when I punched her. Usually, I'm against hitting girls, but Emily was such a bitch it didn't matter.

"Lash," she sniffed, trying to make her nose stop bleeding, "don't you want to come back to the Teachers Lounge?"

I heard her mutter something like 'bloody hell' as she wiped a bloody streak onto her sleeve.

"No. Tell Jennifer I won't be coming in tomorrow," I said plainly.

--

"Lash?" I heard her voice answer groggily on the other end of the phone.

"Yeah. Hi, Cass. Sorry, did I wake you?"

"No, no," she said, even though I obviously had.

"You awake, now?" I laughed, knocking on her front door.

"Yeah. Where are you?" she asked, opening it. I hung up when I saw her shocked expression. Clearly, I was not who she had been expecting at the front door.

"Got to go, Lash," she spoke into the phone, "a dashing young man has just come to my doorstep."

I gave her a quick kiss, relieved to see that her hair was still blonde, and that her eyes weren't glaring at me.

"I met this girl, at the university," I told her.

"And?" she asked, curiously.

"She can travel through time," I told her, not wanting to tell her the whole story. Magenta's pale expression was still etched in my memory.

"That's nice," she yawned at me.

"Do you think," a thought hit me, "that I could go back? And stop myself from making all those crappy decisions?"

"Why would you want to go back?" she asked me, "going forward is hard enough."

--

**So, there you have it. I squeezed it all into one chapter for you, instead of dragging it out. I hope you enjoyed it.**

**X**

**Alice**


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